


Prediction, no thank you!

by Greennonmonster



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Growing Up, a lot of characters, finally done, friendships, starting writing this years ago on ffnet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 01:32:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17274578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greennonmonster/pseuds/Greennonmonster
Summary: After McGonagall's dismissal of the first divination lesson Harry decides to change elective. In the process Harry starts to understand that he can do things without Ron or Hermione and that their yearmates are worth getting to know.





	1. Chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I do not own Harry Potter, I'm just playing in Rowling's sandbox.  
> The ratings mainly incase I need to use swear words (angry Harry) and the fact that there's a fair bit of violence in Harry's life.  
> Sometimes I will mentions things that happen in the books, a conversation mainly, but I'm not going to copy or paraphrase JKR words. There's only one exception:  
> This story has an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the beginning so that the readers understand where this story alters from canon.

_"Harry, Ron, and Hermione descended Professor Trelawney's ladder and the winding stair in silence, then set off for Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration lesson. It took them so long to find her classroom that, early as they had left Divination, they were only just in time. Harry chose a seat right at the back of the room, feeling as though he were sitting in a very bright spotlight; the rest of the class kept shooting furtive glances at him, as though he were about to drop dead at any moment.  
He hardly heard what Professor McGonagall was telling them about Animagi (wizards who could transform at will into animals), and wasn't even watching when she transformed herself in front of their eyes into a tabby cat with spectacle markings around her eyes.  
"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."  
"Everybody's heads turned toward Harry again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand.  
"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and —"  
"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"  
Everyone stared at her.  
"Me," said Harry, finally.  
"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class."  
If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues —" Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly,  
"Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney…"  
"She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."  
"Hermione laughed. Harry felt a bit better. It was harder to feel scared of a lump of tea leaves away from the dim red light and befuddling perfume of Professor Trelawney's classroom. Not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?"  
Excerpt from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, chapter 6. _

Harry nodded at Professor McGonagall after she dismissed Professor Trelawney's prediction. He did feel reassured but at the same time he wondered. He knew he wasn't as clever as Hermione but did he really want to stay in class with a teacher with a preference to predict his death? Wouldn't it just become a class he loathed just as much as potions, albeit for slightly different reason?

But he had already chosen his elective surely he wouldn't be able to change now? Perhaps, Harry thought, he could ask Professor McGonagall if he could change his elective. After all Professor McGonagall didn't seem to be too fond of the Divination Professor. Harry distractedly picked up his things and followed Ron and Hermione out of the classroom. He stopped however and let them continue on as they bickered of the divination lesson. Instead Harry turned to Professor McGonagall who looked at him curiously.

"Is there anything in particular I could help you with Mr. Potter?" Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He never really trusted most adults. After all, none of the teachers questioned the fact that his grades suddenly slipped dramatically after he brought home a report card that for once was looked at. The difference between his and Dursley's and the subsequent accusations of cheating had earned him a trashing and a week in the cupboard. The teacher never asked about his bruises or why he was so tiny and Dudley so large. Harry took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Is there a possibility to change electives?" Harry swore he could almost see McGonagall smile.

"It depends if the new teacher accepts the transfer and how many lessons have been missed. Now I assume this discussion is due to your divination lesson?"

"Yes Professor. Muggle studies should be pointless for me but perhaps the Ancient Runes or Arithmancy Professor would let me join?" McGonagall nodded and Harry could swear she had that small smile on her lips again.

"I will discuss this with them and you should receive a reply within a day. The first arithmancy lesson is tomorrow and ancient runes held its first lesson today. Perhaps Mr. Potter if the teachers are inclined to agree, you could attend both classes and decide which course you wish to pursue or perhaps even if you wish to attend both courses." Professor McGonagall halted and peered at Harry.

"Mr. Potter I believe you are quite bright and you do well on tests, both practical and theoretical, even if you practical most often is better. However you rarely perform any research into spells or homework above the minimum required which is notable on your essays. I believe you can do much better. Perhaps you should see this next week as your chance to embrace your intelligence. You're not lazy mind you, but you seem to hold back from your potential. I will send you a note if one or both of the teachers agree to let you consider a change. The student welcomed with Sibyll's death prediction usually does switch classes Mr. Potter so you need not worry." And with that Harry felt he was dismissed and ran to catch up with Ron and Hermione before they reached the great hall for lunch. He felt like a weight in his stomach was gone, but butterflies had replaced it.

When Harry did find his friends they were so heatedly discussing the grim that they didn't even seem to realize Harry had been gone. Harry let them continue their debate as he felt that he just rather forget about it. Hopefully he would at the end of the day no longer be in that class.

"Hermione, she saw the Grim! She's a professor and that omen always means death!" Hermione huffed.

"Hardly, it seems to be as reliable as astrology in the muggle world which means that it's nonsense!" Harry tuned them out as the argument continued all the way trough lunch.

The rest of the day unfortunately wasn't as easy as Harry's discussion with McGonagall had turned out to be. He had already bowed to Buckbeak once that day and had already made contact with the majestic but terrifying beast when Malfoy decided to be foolish and insult the proud animals, precisely what Hagrid had warned them about. The resulting turmoil and trouble for Hagrid meant that Hermione spent the evening busy with rants at anyone who would listen. Harry was just as worried about Hagrid and Buckbeak, but felt that there was unfortunately nothing to do about it tonight so Harry had no problem with being dragged away by Percy briefly.

"Harry, my boy I am glad that you have decided to pursue a harder academic path. Divination does have it uses, but I am sure that the challenge of the prestigious subjects of arithmancy and runes will be to you liking. Both teachers accepted due to Professor Trelawney prediction apparently, according to Professor McGonagall. These books are for the courses, you will be able to lend them from the library until your own books have been delivered after your decision. I suggest that you read the first chapter before the arithmancy lesson tomorrow and the first two before your ancient runes lesson the day after tomorrow." Percy nodded magnanimously to Harry and shook his hand just like he had in the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry never really got to tell his friends about the change during the evening as Ron sulked while Hermione spent a little time on homework between her rants. The next day as Ron enjoyed his morning of sleeping in Harry hurried to breakfast to avoid Hermione as he didn't wish to begin the day with a lecture on why he hadn't told them about the change. Harry did love Hermione as a sister, he guessed since he didn't have one, but she had a tendency to forget that someone else could make choices for themselves without her input. She generally unconsciously looked down on anyone who didn't have the same discipline, grades and enthusiasm for academics. Harry knew he wasn't perfect as well so he didn't really feel the need to argue about it as much as Ron, but it still annoyed him.

In the end Harry made it to the classroom before Hermione and continued reading the book. Harry liked math, the Dursley's hadn't considered it an important subject so no one cared about his grade. The basis of arithmancy seemed to be about math and different applications before the really difficult applications begun. Hermione came in into the room with her head in the book and took a seat in the front and never discovered that Harry was seated three rows further back. The rest of the class consisted of mainly Ravenclaws but also with quite a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. Harry and Hermione were the only Gryffindors. Harry was pleased to see that Malfoy didn't attend this class. According to Susan Bones, sitting to Harry's left talking to Terry Boot this was apparently the norm for this class.

"Nice to see you here Harry! It's good to have some more mixture. The upper years told me that this class has pretty much no Gryffindors, with a few more in ancient runes." Harry smiled at her.

"Really? Well I switched from divination, it seems she liked to predict a student's death every year and I was chosen this year." Susan and Terry grimaced in sympathy.

"How is it with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for those classes, then?" Terry briefly looked at the professor before deciding that they had time.

"Almost all of the students from the other houses go in ancient runes, it one of the most popular electives. Traditionally ancient runes and care of magical creatures have been the most popular. In this class about half to seventy five percent takes it from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw I guess." Harry nodded and they all turned their attention to the teacher.

The teacher Professor Vector was a woman who had some semblance to Professor McGonagall in her teaching style, but with a propensity of getting of subject and discussing some aspect of arithmancy, began with an introduction and explanation.

"Arithmancy is a complicated field of magic that demands much of a student. You not only need magic, but also logic and problem solving. Those of you who have studied mathematics will have an easier time until NEWT level. After your OWLS everything will become very abstract and the mathematics will be very different. In the beginning equations and calculations will form a larger part of the curriculum as well as the theories of arithmancy. Therefore we will begin with a small test. After that test I will recommend supplementary reading for all of you and those of you in need of mathematical review will receive extra work to that end. Your will receive your results tomorrow at breakfast. When you are done you may leave the class. Understood? Good." The test was surprisingly easy since Harry hadn't had a math lesson for years. The calculations were easy enough, Harry had never had the luxury of a calculator. The equations took more time, but while Harry was sure that he would have some wrong answers he didn't think he would have too many faults. Harry was among the first in the class to leave while Hermione sat and double checked her answers.

Harry decided since he had finished the chapter on arithmancy and the first in ancient runes to read a bit of the potions before the lesson. Snape would never stop hating Harry, but perhaps he could minimize the point damage. The lesson did indeed go decently until Malfoy came in and apparently wasn't satisfied with only messing up Ron's potion but also wanted to try and rattle Harry. Harry knew that Malfoy would never want him well so Harry did his best to ignore the taunts about Black and that Harry should want to hunt him. The taunt's about Harry's ignorance was tuned out as well. After all who would want to hunt a man trying to kill you? Harry would rather spend his time imagining Malfoy fall prey to a series of pranks or clumsiness rather than plot how to meet and find out something about a deranged mass murderer.

It wasn't until after the lessons and Snape's thwarted threat to poison Neville and his toad as well Hermione's disappearing act that Ron turned to Harry with a confused expression.

"Mate, why didn't you sleep in? What's the point in going up hours before class?" Harry wanted to sigh as Harry always was up hours before Ron wanted to be up, but then again Ron had always woken up to breakfast, Harry had made breakfast. Harry looked at Ron and shrugged.

"I'm switching subject. I don't want to be in Trelawney's class if she's gonna predict my death all the time. I'm deciding between runes and arithmancy, the first arithmancy lesson was today and it seemed alright." Ron gaped at him but shrugged.

"Well it you who have to do the work, mate." And with that Ron grudgingly accepted it. Hermione however had quite a different reaction after their defense lesson when she found out. Harry had at the time been busy figuring out why Professor Lupin hadn't let him have a go at the boggart when Hermione practically rammed into him.

"Harry why didn't you tell me! We could have gone to the lesson together and why didn't you talk with me before McGonagall." Harry interrupted Hermione before she continued, not wanting to have a lecture directed at him all way through lunch.

"Hermione it was my decision. Apparently pretty much everyone Trelawney predicts death to change courses. Yesterday with everything with Hagrid and Malfoy I never got the chance." Hermione seemed to grudgingly accept that explanation and after the day's lesson they were all somewhat dragged by Hermione to the library. Seated at a desk and starting on his transfiguration essay Harry recalled McGonagall's words. After all he did acknowledge that he was quite good at math which he had been allowed to be good at by the Dursley's. Perhaps he was letting himself down. He did like to read after all. The books usually were interesting or at least the information they held. He would never be like Hermione who always wrote the twice the requirements on her essays and who took it as an affront if she didn't know something. Harry knew Hermione well enough to see that it was a defense to prove herself but he got annoyed by it at once a week at least.

Ron was the complete opposite only doing what he must. Harry guessed that Ron felt he could never be as good as his brothers so why bother. Ron wasn't without intelligence or the logic that Hermione mentioned that wizard seldom used. After all strategy was something Ron excelled at. However he never exerted himself. Since Harry had gotten to know Ron first and didn't want to live in the library on top on the practices with Wood and the rest of the team he had joined Ron in his approach, but why did he need to do his schoolwork like one of his friends? Perhaps he could try a bit more? With this new resolve Harry got on with the homework.

On they way back to the common room it was Hermione that came with the next surprise.

"You know Harry, we get extra credit if we take voluntary language courses in Ancient Runes. It can save your grade if you're in trouble. Here, take this it's all the language options." And with that Hermione swished up into the girls dormitories as Harry and Ron climbed up to their dormitory. While Ron's snores started to fill up the room Harry looked at the list. If he was going to study a language he wanted to be able to use it. His school had been part of an optional language trial and those who wanted had been able to take a language course so Harry already knew some French. Spanish could also be good and those study groups were back to back on Mondays, a day he didn't have practice on. He signed up; think that at least this he got more out of rather than another lecture on goblin rebellions or the position of Jupiter's different moons.


	2. Chapter two

The next day Harry had his first ancient runes class, while Ron had another go at the lovely room of incense and mystique up in the north tower. As Harry submitted the papers on which language options he would take, along with everybody else who had been there on the first lesson, the teacher nodded to Harry. He took a place besides Hermione as the lesson begun.

The teacher was amazing. While the lesson weren't very practical they got a set of runes to remember before the teacher put up different rune clusters on the board they were supposed to try and decipher the message based on the two chapters they had read and the runes they had been given, it took a while but Harry found out that after he had already deciphered a rune it was much easier to remember it the next time he needed to translate the same rune. The big break came when he realized that the teacher had mixed Gaelic and Norse runes. In the end he did break the message "Never trust me when I tell you to only use one runic alphabet", but not before Hermione who sat impatiently while the others finished. Harry wondered as they walked out of class if the real lesson was the translation, the message or both?

When the week came to an end Harry gave up in deciding which of the courses he would chose of the two electives he had to chose between. Harry figured he had done decently well on the arithmancy test and math was something he liked if not loved. Trying to figure out the puzzles and runes that ancient runes consisted of was fun, while in a different way from flying or Professor Lupin's classes were. McGonagall had seemed pleased with his decision and had given him a high mark on his essay on animagi, with a note at the bottom praising his hard work and encouraging him to continue in this manner.

The term continued as usually, with Snape being nasty, not only to Harry and all Gryffindors, but also Professor Lupin. Peeves still soared around and the first years quickly learned to avoid him as much as possible. The real difference for Harry from previous years was the fact that for the first time he felt like he didn't struggle with academics and people in the school. He just was another student, neither a hero nor villain, since everyone was so focused on Sirius Black.

The language courses were interesting and for the first time since flying Harry did something without his two best friends. Hermione took Latin and Italian claiming she knew enough French since her visit there during the summer. While challenging, the lessons were fun and since everything was done as much in the languages as possible Harry's vocabulary expanded decently. Grammar and spelling came back easily since that had been the main focus along with phrases back in elementary school.

Harry shared both language lessons with Susan Bones who he was seated next to in both arithmancy and ancient runes. Terry Boot was also seated close to Harry in both courses and they shared French. A number of students from different houses were in the language lessons and they mixed years so Harry met a lot of new people, like in Spanish a little Ravenclaw called Luna who was hilarious and Penny the prefect (who was also Percy's girlfriend, but Harry didn't hold that against her) who tried to protect Luna from some of Luna's year mates.

"No Luna, the turn is like this. Make sure to place in on you homework and anyone not yourself or a teacher will get rashes." Harry smiled at the protective tone in Penny's voice and leaned forward.

"You could also try and learn the confusion hex." Harry had learned that during the summer from Florian Fortescue, when he had told him about his troubles the past years.

"Like the Blundering betwaxs?" Harry nodded with a smile. He might not believe in all of Luna's creatures, but who was he to judge anyone. For all he knew they might exist.

Another person Harry met from the language groups were Cedric Diggory. Cedric was oblivious to the stares and sighs from some of the girls, were in the French lessons group. Harry and Cedric sometimes bantered in French about quidditch and probably made many syntactical errors. The Diggory fan girls, Penny's name for them as she also took French, really freaked Harry out. He made sure to recognize the behavior so that he could avoid it in the future.

"Why do they do that?" Penny shrugged.

"I don't really know. None of them seems to know him. Perhaps because he's good looking or because he's a quidditch captain? He's really smart as well, but somehow I don't think that's the reason." Harry snorted at that.

Meanwhile Ron found a new chess partner in Seamus while Dean, who took ancient runes with them, sat with Hermione and Harry and did ancient runes homework. Hermione spent most of her time in classes or the library with some breaks to sit in the common room and study there instead. Harry was confused by the number of assignments she had, as they were supposed to take the same classes and she had more assignments than he did. Some of them were extra credit in Transfiguration and Charms, but that didn't explain the difference completely.

Harry's marks had gone up quite a bit this year, potions of course still being an exception. While Harry couldn't really care less about the stars and moons and which was made of ice, History he did make an effort in since, while Binns were deadly dull, the book was decently interesting and it might be a good idea to understand more of the wizarding world. Hagrid's lessons had become something of a joke but Harry did his best to be supportive of his friend turned Professor. He didn't even want to know what Hagrid based the grades on since the main thing they did was to take care of flobberworms. His potions grade however still remained awful, despite his extra work. However bad his grade might be, Harry had found out that his OWLs were examined by outsiders so he could earn a better grade there at least. Besides he wasn't about to let Snape win. Whenever Snape was being particularly nasty Harry imagined himself watching Snape seeing Harry's OWL result, which hopefully would be really good. Snape would have an apoplexy if Harry did well on his potion OWL.

The term progressed in this hurried and firm pace until Wood realized that the quidditch season were about to begin and woke up the team before dawn and dragged them down to the pitch.

"Honestly, are we sure that Wood hasn't been hit by a bludger too many times. He's getting bonkers, I want to win as well, but we need to sleep. How can he deprive us like this?!" The rest of the team snorted at Fred's theatrics' as pretended to faint. While they still only practiced three times a week, as more than half the team had OWLS this year and had threatened with mutiny, Wood suddenly popped out of nowhere during the day to discuss tactics. However Harry stumbled upon a solution to that. Take one quidditch fanatic with another and they could talk for hours! And thus Wood started talking to Ron during most of the evenings. Ron also got some lessons in being a keeper from Wood so hopefully another problem would be solved by that solution. Of course that still didn't stop Oliver from making the others go bonkers with his desperate pleas for them to train every day since this was his last chance to win the cup. Finally the rest of the team had enough on a rainy training. Curfew was dangerously close and Wood didn't seem to be letting up.

"Oliver some of us are prefects! I'd prefer if I didn't lose my badge because of your obsession!" Alicia hissed at Wood. He looked apoplectic.

"This is our last chance and your badge is not as important as the cup and you only want to go back because your cold, we must not give in to weakn…" Luckily for Wood the twins had covered his mouth with their hands and smiled angelically at Angelica, Alicia and Katie who stood together and glared at Wood while Harry tried desperately not to laugh as the twins dragged a wildly protesting Wood away. As soon as the door to the changing room closed the rest fled. The next day Halloween was upon them.

Harry hadn't been allowed to go to Hogsmede and aside from a chat with Professor Lupin Harry had spent his day in the library. If he couldn't go to Hogsmede he could get some things out of the way at least. He had asked the twins, Hermione and Ron to buy some candy for him and given them the money. The twins had nodded business like, but Ron and Hermione had had to make a big deal about it.

"I'm so sorry Harry, but perhaps they'll capture black and we can get McGonagall to let you go next time." Hermione glared at Ron.

"Don't give him false hope, Ron! But we'll tell you everything Harry, it'll be just as if you were there!" Harry doubted that but managed a smile and shooed the out of the doors. Besides, Harry tried to convince him self as the self pity crept up, studies could make him stop think about why Snape had brewed a potion for a man he seemed to hate and said man hadn't been afraid to drink it. As he was studying Harry heard a small shuffling noise behind him and looked up. Little Luna Lovegood was standing beside him. Harry smiled at her and she smiled timidly back.

"Is it still alright if I study with you?" Harry's smile widened and he pulled out the chair next to him.

"Of course! You've got all your homework?" Luna nodded and started dividing her homework. Harry glanced over her herbology essay and handed her a book he had used for his own herbology essay.

"Chapter two mentions mandrakes here. I wished I had thought to ask Neville about it last year. He's the best in herbology in my year." Luna nodded and started writing on her essay.

Harry had noticed that the other girls in her year were particularly nasty to Luna. Remembering his own time in primary school Harry had given Luna permission to study with him anytime she wanted to. The-boy-who-lived thing sometimes did have it uses if Luna got to do her homework in peace. Between Harry and Penny she had mastered several good locking spells as well so that at least her books and homework could be left alone. Other things belonging to Luna still disappeared, but the little girl never complained.

In the end Harry got his candy (with a "here Harry, you'll never believe how much fun we've had!) and tried not to feel jealous of their visit to Hogsmede. That and their descriptions and stories from Hogsmede preoccupied him until he realized that they were at the fat lady's portrait and that it was slashed. Harry and the rest of Gryffindor tried not to grumble when they had to return to the great hall. Transfiguring his Gryffindor scarf into a pillow he tried to look like he was sleeping and of course not eavesdropping on Dumbledore and Percy trying to be important and Harry's favorite teacher, Snape. Harry was amused that Dumbledore disappointed Snape's hope to frame someone.

The conversation was illuminating as well as confusing. Harry really didn't understand why Black was after him so badly, but he guessed anyone got insane after spending so much time in Azkaban with the dementors. Still Harry refused to sit and bite his nails waiting for someone to kill or save him. He was doing well at his studies and he would continue with that. It wasn't like it was the first time someone tried to kill him Harry thought cynically while he stared up at the stormy sky. He didn't try to be blase he just couldn't stop living just because he had people who wanted him dead. After all he now had met Voldemort or Riddle as Harry thought he should call him. After all Riddle hated that name all the more reason to use it. 

Wasn't the fact that powerful wizards wanted him dead more reason to try and live as normally as possible before the next time one of them made an attempt?

Thoughts of mass murderers and psychopaths couldn't trouble Harry to long anyway, with Wood going on about quidditch and lessons continuing. Before the first game there was of course the problem of Malfoy. He was apparently too injured to play, which was such a blatant lie that most of Gryffindor spent the evening predicting Malfoy's death in various ways. While Harry didn't like Malfoy milking his injury Harry couldn't care less who he met in the next match. The way the weather were looking it would not be a fun match. Of course Wood became even more fanatical as they found out that they would meet Hufflepuff and the twins had joked about it. Harry thought it would be fun to play against Cedric and they had started to tease each other in French during their evening lessons. The Hufflepuffs' were also angry that the Slytherins had upset the schedule. Everybody seemed to agree that the weather would not be fun as a couple of days before the match Harry sat in his usual seat in arithmancy next to Susan bones, who was talking to Terry Boot.

"No Terry I'm not really looking forward to the game. I'll go of course all Puffs are, but I pity the players. The weather's not ideal." Harry smirked.

"I'm not looking forward to it much either. You two don't know some spell to make me able to see despite the rain and water on my glasses? Or should I fear sabotage?" He smiled at Susan to show that he was just joking. She laughed with Terry.

"Well what have you tried?" Susan replied with a smile.

"Mainly books on quidditch, household spells and a book on magical glasses and lenses. Really need to get a pair of those the next time I'm in Diagon alley." Susan nodded while Terry looked contemplative.

"You should get the lenses; surprised whoever took you to Diagon alley for introduction didn't get you a pair. But on the spell perhaps you should go a different way, make the water go away from the glasses like a vanishing or repelling charm." Harry nodded while Susan grinned.

"I think impervious would do. It repels everything from a surface. We win by fair play after all not by having a blind opposing team seeker." Harry grinned and thanked her. Then he turned to Terry.

"Hagrid introduced me to the magical world. As my relatives don't like magic I always discover something new." Terry grimaced and nodded. While Hagrid was very nice, he wasn't the best person to introduce someone to the magical world.

"I know that one of my dorm mates got introductory books recommended, I can find out which if you want?" Harry nodded and smiled at Terry as the teacher came in and started the lesson.

Harry was very glad for the advice Susan and Terry had given him that lesson since the weather at the game was worse than most had thought it would be. He could hardly see anything with the repelling charm and didn't know what he would have done if the charm wasn't there. While his glasses helped, nothing had prepared him for dementors entering the arena. A horrible feeling came over him as the temperature dropped to sub zero degrees. Harry heard the screaming he had heard on the train again. As he slowly slipped in the middle of the sky a stray though came to Harry's mind, I wonder if I could impervious the dementors.


	3. Chapter three

The loss of the game and Harry's broom demolition when it flew into the whomping willow were sore topics for a while, but not as sore as Harry's desire to never be so susceptible to the dementor's thrall. The knowledge that they made him hear his mother's murder was not comfortable at all. To help Harry with that, Professor Lupin had agreed to teach him a method to defense after Christmas. Harry had been very happy to have Lupin back instead of the charming presence of Snape in one of Harry's new favorite classes.

With Quirrell and the headache he gave Harry, which later turned out to be because of Riddle and later the mess that was Lockhart, Harry had never been fond of Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. For the first time the class now lived up to the expectations Harry had had for the subject before his first lesson in the first year. Lupin mixed practical and theory and always managed to make it interesting. He also tried to make sure that everyone understood.

Professor Lupin however had much to do after his illness, so Harry would need to wait until after Christmas. In the meantime Harry studied dementors and their weaknesses as he was also doing homework, helping Hagrid on the issue of Buckbeak's trial, mediating between Ron and Hermione on the scabber's issue, learned languages and had a lot of trying trainings on a very bad broom. Needless to say Harry had too much to do to ponder on Hermione's schedule, Lupin's reaction to Harry's mention of hearing his mother's murder or the mystery of Sirius Black.

Apart from all this Harry had also something more exciting to look forward to. He had asked Madame Pomfrey about lenses and to his delight was to be fitted for a pair that apparently fixed his eyesight over time, in a week. For the first time in his life he wouldn't be defenseless if his glasses broke, fell off or all of the other things they often decided to do when he was in dangerous situations.

About a week after the match, but before Harry's fitting for his lenses, just before an arithmancy lesson began Terry tapped Harry's shoulder as he tried to ignore Hermione's rant about Harry's desire to stay out of the Scabber's conflict. Terry smirked and waved a piece of parchment.

"I almost forgot about it with everything during Halloween, but here's the list of introductory books. Anthony also let me borrow two of them for you. The rest should be in the library." Terry smirked and floated the list to land neatly in Harry's bag that he had been in the process to put some charms homework back into. Susan laughed at Terry's showing off.

"It'd been more impressive if you'd made it into a paper airplane." Harry said with a smirk. Terry snorted haughtily while Susan laughed beside Harry. The trio spent the rest of the time before the lesson started making each other parchment into paper airplanes and avoiding its owner. Susan won.

The books on the list Terry had given him had been really helpful. Now he understood why the measuring tape at Ollivander's had measured so many things, why people fear giants, magical transportation, how OWLs are conducted etc. It annoyed him that no one had informed him of these books. He even recognized some of them from Hermione's collection and she had never said anything when it was obvious that Harry didn't know. Ron also had learned this from many of these books, he had seen them at their home and several of them stated that they were for children and to introduce people to the magical world. Why hadn't they pointed Harry to these books when he showed his lack of knowledge? Why hadn't some of the teachers? Had they just assumed that he was lazy or stupid?

Confused and slightly embarrassed that he didn't know all these things Harry had somehow found time to read the books. Thankfully most of them were relatively light since they only gave an overview and not an in depth description about everything.

Another thing that made Harry glad to have met more people was that Harry could talk with Cedric after the match.

"You know I wanted to do a rematch…" Harry shrugged at Cedric and shook his head.

"You won fairly. It's fine, it's not like you invited the dementors." Harry joked. Cedric still looked a bit worried.

"Still it's not the way I want to win a game."

"It's not the way I want to lose a game either, but it's a fair game." They shook hands and proceeded to go into the classroom to start the French lesson. Malfoy had found it funny however and had been disturbing Harry by imitating his fall. Luna helped him by wondering if Malfoy's imitations of Harry falling of his broom were Malfoy having seizures due to prolonged exposure to the Blibbering Humdinger. Susan and Terry just talked loudly in ancient runes, which Malfoy took but always sat quite far from Harry.

"It's a pity that Malfoy isn't as good as a seeker as an actor, really." Most of the class had snorted at that and Malfoy had continued with his habit of leaving Harry alone during ancient runes.

Oliver had soon rebounded from the defeat. Harry and the rest of the teem pretended to not notice that it was Katie who had managed to drag out Oliver from the shower (apparently she had threatened to quit the team if he didn't come out of there, the rest of their shouting match was unknown) or that he seemed to be spending time looking at her with a thoughtful and surprised look. Katie seemed to blush a bit round Oliver, but after very threatening glares from Alicia and Angelina the twins and Harry decided that the matter was best left alone. Despite his sometimes preoccupation with Katie, Oliver still cringed at the broom Harry was using. The sedate and tired broom was still secure, but definitely not suitable for playing quidditch. Even if Harry could get it to move much faster than Oliver, they had tested it, it still was far to slow for a broom to be chasing a snitch.

Harry was further pulled out of his glum mood, when he received back his first large essay in ancient runes. They had had several smaller assignments before, but now that they had had some practice and covered two runic system's basic alphabet and composition, they could start to actually use the runes instead of just translate them rune for rune, which took forever. So far they had used Norse as well as Gaelic runes. The essay had notes in the margins as well as a longer note after the end of the essay. Harry's note and grade made him feel like he was floating. He and Susan as well as Terry high fived each other as they had all done really well. Harry kept the comment on the end for himself though.

_Mr Potter you should be very proud of this essay. I can clearly see that you've worked very hard with it. The structure is the only problem so I recommend that you check out academic writing by William Pondering. Otherwise this essay was the best of them all. I particularly liked that you managed to bring up the different forms of significance of runes in Nordic mythology. The research was very good and you managed to present it with brevity and within the maximum length I requested._

In the beginning Harry hadn't understood her reference to the length of his essay, which was precisely the maximum allowed length. He understood more when he heard Hermione complain about her grade to the professor after the lesson. Most students were already at the far side of the corridor, but Harry, Terry and Susan was just outside the classroom.

"It isn't fair I did more than you asked for, I should receive extra credit not a barely passable grade!" Hermione sounded furious and near tears.

"Miss Granger I specifically gave you a minimum and maximum length on this essay, you wrote twice that length. I did not grade or take into account what you had written beyond the maximum length. A few extra lines I can understand, but you clearly disregarded my instructions. Not only did you include things that might be interesting, but definitely not relevant for this assignment, you also paraphrased all of the reference literature. You never copied, but you need to summarize and write with you own words. Only the relevant parts for an assignments should be included not an entire book on the matter. I don't know if this has been tolerated by your other professors so far, but they will not tolerate this in the future. I have hundreds of students Miss Granger and I demand that they follow my instructions when they write an assignments. I warned you of this during you prior assignments." Harry and the others quickly ducked out of sight as Hermione stormed off. He couldn't understand how Hermione who always was so respectful to teachers would act like that.

Harry knew that Hermione prided her self on her knowledge. She made sure to include everything she knew about something. He knew that she had complained about something similar with Snape. Professor Babbling had been very clear with the assignments length and that anything more than maximum would be ignored. Hermione had become snappish with him recently as well. It seemed like she was stressing her self out. She also seemed to have trouble with others being first with something, seemingly doing better or wanting to borrow the same book as Hermione wanted to read. It was almost as is it was a competition and she must be the winner. This wasn't quidditch this was people's future lives and careers. Shouldn't Hermione be focused on her self rather than comparing her self to others all the time? She just seemed to be unable to stand some one being as good or better than her, she even refused to speak to Neville one day after he had receive high praise from Sprout during herbology.

Susan and Terry who had also heard everything looked shocked at Hermione's exit. Shaking their heads they all headed of to the library to study and meet up with Luna. Harry had introduced them to Luna, when Susan, Terry and Luna all had visited Harry in the hospital wing during the weekend. Terry had been ashamed that he had never spent more time to get to know Luna and had ignored the Loony comments. He and Anthony had made sure to include Luna when they ate at the Ravenclaw table, something that was rewarded with smiles from Harry and Susan.

When Harry returned to the common room that night he was accosted by Ron.

"Where have you've been mate? Let play some chess, I'm bored out of my mind with this potions essay. I've got all weekend, but Hermione's been nagging." Harry dearly cared about Ron, his first friend, but he was seriously becoming annoyed at Ron's tendency to complain. About school work, his brothers, the weather, the loss against Hufflepuff, crookshanks, the dementors and Harry's new classes.

"I mean you're never here!" Harry sighed and played a few rounds with Ron, getting thrashed every time. He didn't know what to do to tell Ron and Hermione that he was more than a little annoyed with them. He never really had had any other friends, but he could see with Susan and Hannah, one of her friends that they were able to talk about things. Harry still cared about them. Ron was still funny and mostly supportive and liked Harry despite, not because, Harry's fame. Hermione also didn't care about Harry's fame and she did care a lot about people around her. Somehow however both of them seemed to be so focused on themselves and their fights that they sometimes forget to talk with Harry and talked to him instead. Now was a great example. It was a Friday night but Harry had an eye exam early tomorrow, something both Ron and Hermione knew. Still Ron insisted that he play chess and Hermione that he would study a bit more even if Harry was done with almost all of his homework since he knew that he would be spending most of his time this weekend in the hospital wing and with the team on the pitch.

In the end, Harry managed to get away from the common room and upstairs when Oliver and Katie came over.

"Harry, why are you still up. You scheduled the eye exam to be before practice right?" Katie elbowed Oliver at this frantic comment and rolled her eyes.

"What he means is that he hopes the examination goes well and that you need your sleep." Harry grinned at Katie looked at Ron and Hermione. Both Ron and Hermione looked startled and Harry guessed that both of them had forgotten about his appointment entirely. Trying to fall asleep Harry admitted to himself that he was very nervous about the next day.  
His nerves were somewhat justified. He had stepped into the hospital wing eight o'clock to see professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey already there. Harry was quickly placed on one of the beds, with a potion dropped into his eyes. After a few minutes, which were spent with Madame Pomfrey informing him about the different options, Madame Pomfrey began to cast different diagnostic charms while a dictations quill documented her questions and Harry's answer.

"When was your last check up?" Harry looked at her uncertainly. He had never had a check up. He had just gone with aunt Petunia to a store and tried on the cheap pre made glasses that were to big for him. He thought they were meant for adults.

"Um, I've never really had an appointment." You could hear a pin drop. Madame Pomfrey blinked and managed to get the story out of him. She began to mutter under her breath and flicked the quill when it wrote down her mutterings. Harry stifled a snort.

"Well then your eyes are in a miraculous good condition. I will send Professor McGonagall to the optician with your prescription and then fix the lenses over you eyes. However young man I have some questions. Have you ever been to the doctor? Or a visit to a dentist?" Harry blushed and looked at the ceiling, or the blurry thing he was sure was the ceiling.

"No." Both Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall muttered and scowled at his answer.

"You will need to stay for the rest of the day Harry. I will need to do a full check up and might need to give you treatment or vaccinations. I will notify Professor Snape that I might need his assistance. Really Minerva, we might need to do this a compulsory examination for all incoming students. I had a second year a few weeks ago that grew up in this world and had never had her dragon flu vaccine." Harry was left alone, hoping and praying that Snape would not be involved in this examination.


	4. Chapter four

Unfortunately for Harry the examination did include professor Snape. After a series of incantations and quill dictation, Madame Pomfrey had a lengthy list of things that had happened to Harry as well as what was still broken or in need of repair according to the nurse.

Harry had most of the time healed his injuries via his magic apparently. But all bodies need a bit of help when you've had all you ribs broken at least three times, your right arm broken four times on different bones, multiple broken fingers and toes as well as bones in his hands. He had had over ten concussions. He'd had multiple abdominal bleeding. His nose had been broken, his teeth should have been so badly injured that he should have had to replace them. His growth was stunted. His eyesight was affected by his malnutrition. He had been dehydrated more times that it was practical to count. He'd broken both his collarbones. He'd dislocated his shoulders. He'd never received his muggle vaccination, but he had been given the two first out of four magical vaccinations before his parent's death. All in all he was a typical case of domestic abuse.

Madame Pomfrey had given him a bed and pajamas, sent up a Gryffindor prefect to bring Harry his books and homework as well as sent a note to Oliver. It was after this note bringing that Professor Snape made his entrance. He looked a bit annoyed before Madame Pomfrey gave him the list and glared him into submission. Huffing, Snape began to read the list. He froze after the first lines and closed his eyes. Harry, whose sight had now returned to normal with his glasses on, thought the man looked almost pained. He sat the list down and turned around so that Harry couldn't see his face. Head bowed the Professor stood stock still. Madame Pomfrey sighed and turned to Harry.

"Your glasses don't really fit your prescription, but magic as well as the muscles around your eyes adapt. It's not good to do that, because it takes a lot of your magic to constantly try and heal something, uncontrolled and subconscious magic cannot fix all things and this needs focus. It also causes you headaches and damages your eyesight even more. However that shall soon be taken care of. A more pressing matter is the fact that you miss some of your vaccinations, are malnourished as well as in need of some treatments for you past injuries. Your magic reacted by instinct, but didn't get everything right. So you'll need to stay overnight and then take nutrition potions. I'll expect you to come here every week to do a check up until I'm happy. Than after Christmas I'll give you your last magical vaccination. Now do you understand everything?" Harry nodded.

"Yes Madame Pomfrey." Harry was more concerned about what role Snape would have in all of this. While the man hadn't behaved as usual around Harry, he still didn't want this professor to know about this. He didn't want anyone to know about this.

Snape gave Madame Pomfrey several potions who she started to administrate to Harry. Most of them actually tasted good. At Harry's surprised look she chuckled.

"Most kids don't like potions so the vaccinations were modified long ago to taste better. Easier for everybody involved when you're administrating potions to two year olds." Snape snorted as Harry smiled when he gulped down the last potion. He looked at Madame Pomfrey who looked a little troubled.

"Harry what they did to you is illegal. I swear to you I will not let you be placed there again, they will have to go through me first. However we need some memories from you. The times you received broken bones or that horrible bite marks on you left leg or your concussions. You don't have to give us all, but the more the better. This is confidential, the only ones who would be allowed to see them is the three of us, your head of house as well as child care investigators. None of us are allowed to speak about it other then in our profession among us, bound by a magical oath. Do you understand?" Looking down at his blanket Harry nodded as he fiddled with his sleeves. This would not be fun.

"Snape will help you retrieve the memories." Harry's head snapped up as he stared wide eyed at Madame Pomfrey. He did not want Snape in his head. The man looked at him without his usual sneer.

"I will only tech you how to retrieve your memory and store it into this." He held up a stone basin with runes alongside the rim. It was filled with some curious substance, neither gaseous nor fluid. Snape hesitated.

"Believe it or not Potter, but I like to form opinions on people that are correct. I like to think that I'm not foolish enough to hold onto an opinion that has been supported by flawed evidence. This doesn't mean I like you however." Harry looked at Snape thoughtfully.

"If I may say so professor, the feeling is mutual." Snape smirked a little before they began the process.

The process took some time, but in the end Harry had pulled out quite a lot of memories. The prefect had returned with Harry's books as well as his homework. In the middle of pulling out memories for the others to view Harry heard doors slam as Oliver entered the hospital wing in his quidditch robes. He looked quite distraught and Harry could imagine that he was here to get Harry.

"Professor, why is Harry here, it was only supposed to be an eye exam we need him on the pitch. We need practice, surely professor McGonagall you agree with me?" Oliver pleadingly said, directing the last bit to professor McGonagall who was walking out of Madame Pomfrey's office with Madame Pomfrey. Both scowled at Oliver.

"Mr Wood while I am an avid fan, Mr Potter is in the hospital wing. Until he is released from Madame Pomfrey's care I expect you to leave him to his rest." Before Oliver could protest Madame Pomfrey cut in.

"And he will not be released today. Unless you need my attention I suggest you leave before you disrupt our work." Oliver spluttered.

"But…" Snape had up until that point been focused in transferring the memory, but know he looked Oliver straight into his eyes. You could see Oliver shrink away from the glare.

"Mr Wood I have no intention to spend all of my Saturday here, so leave now." With no back up from professor McGonagall, Oliver slunk away muttering about the importance of practice. Professor McGonagall looked at Harry.

"Mr Potter, we have contacted protective child services, they will arrive soon. They will greet you shortly but then we will need to examine your memories. They will talk to you later. Now are you done with the memories?"

"I have a couple more, but I'm nearly done." Harry said quietly. Professor McGonagall nodded at him and smiled slightly.

"You're a good lad, Potter. Never forget that." Soon after that the officials had arrived and greeted him, thankfully with none of the boy-who-lived gawking, but a simple "Hello Mr Potter, we're officers Blake and McAllister." After that they had all converged in Madame Pomfrey's office had had been there for over an hour.

Now Harry looked up into the ceiling. He had his lenses installed so to speak on his eyes and could already feel the difference. He felt lighter somehow, probably a headache he hadn't even thought about. He knew that in Madame Pomfrey's office right now his memories were being reviewed by the two professors, the nurse and the two protective child service workers who had greeted him. Harry's stomach churned at the thought. He sighed.

Finally Harry couldn't stand it anymore. He knew that if the tried to leave, Madame Pomfrey would not let him get away with it. He was pretty sure she had in some former life (if one believed in reincarnation) been a prison guard. Therefore he used his only other option of escape. Homework.

The next day Harry was released. As it was the weekend, he at least hadn't missed much. While he had missed training, with the broom he was using at the moment he didn't get much out of it anyways. Harry was sure that Oliver would give him a play-by-play of the training even if Harry wouldn't want him to. Harry chuckled a little at the thought of his obsessive captain. While he did care a lot about quidditch, he liked flying more than he liked the game. However, telling Oliver that would be like kicking a puppy so Harry decided to just avoid him.

Yesterday Harry had been stuck for hours with nothing but his books to distract him. He had then finished what little homework he had left and done some reading ahead. He had been told by the child protective service people that he would under no circumstances go back to the Dursley's. He remembered the conversation.

"Mr Potter we have reviewed you medical records and your memories. Due to your special circumstances it would be dangerous to simply make you a ward of the ministry. So officially the Dursley's will still have custody. However you will not be allowed to return to them. We will consult with you before we reach a final placement. In the meantime Professor McGonagall will act as your guardian. By law since you have no close relatives, this is the appropriate response. As professor Dumbledore was responsible for placing you at the Dursley's he will not have any insight or say in this investigation." Harry nodded and felt relieved at the last comment, since Dumbledore had refused Harry's previous pleads about the Dursley's.

"I'll admit that I don't know much about custody proceedings in the muggle world, but I promise you that you will not be action off to the highest bidder, like in that story, what's it called? Oliver Twist." Harry felt relieved and managed to smile at the woman, as he had been thinking about that story. The Dursley's had encouraged Harry to read that book to appreciate his place with them.

"I promise you that you will have full confidentiality. No one apart from us will know about this investigation. Do you have any questions?" Harry had too many questions. He shook his head but received their owling address. Harry had felt relieved, but still anxious by not knowing what would happen.  
Now in the Sunday morning, Harry had finally been released from the tender clutches of Madame Pomfrey. He had no idea how many people knew he had spent the evening in the hospital wing, but between a prefect getting his things and missing a practice, Harry figured that most of Gryffindor tower had heard about it. Since Harry didn't feel up to being interrogated Harry decided to try and find the kitchens instead. Penny, Luna and Cedric had mentioned that the kitchen was down in the basement. They were down the staircase that didn't lead to the dungeons and were apparently behind a painting of a fruit bowl and you were supposed to tickle a fruit. Feeling that he could always blame his visit to the hospital wing if he embarrassed himself Harry decided to try and find the kitchen.

He did find it, but not before Harry had tickled four of the different fruits until he found the right one. He had felt more than a little silly. He slunk into the kitchen to be greeted by a bunch of house elves. Harry looked around and was happy to see that they seemed to be much happier than Dobby and cleaner to with no injuries. Several of them approached him. They brought with them porridge, pumpkin juice and his nutrition potion.

"Thank you! How did you know about the potion? And what are your names?" They smiled pleased with his praise.

"Madame Pomfrey told us, now eat up sir. My name's Mimsy." Harry did eat and was given several parcels with food and snacks for the day. Before he left he turned to the one who had answered Harry earlier.

"Are you happy here?" They all nodded and thanked him for his concern. Mimsy tilted her head seemingly to silently ask him a question.

"It's just that I met a house elf last year and he was definitely not treated well."

"Some masters are bad. We tell about them so that no other house elf ends up there. Most masters are good and we're family." They shooed Harry out and he almost collided with Susan who smirked at him.

"Nice, tripping over people now, Potter. Perhaps Madame Pomfrey let you out to soon?" Harry grimaced. Did the entire school know? When he vocalized that thought Susan grins.

"Of course everybody knows. When you weren't at breakfast Terry, Luna and I decided to look for you, they went to the library and I went to the kitchen. Come on let's meet up with them and then we can go outside. It's actually decent weather today. It might be the last decent autumn day." With that she dragged Harry away while Harry smiled at her.

Once outside they spent their time bouncing rocks onto the lake from the far side, with the small forest between the gates from the train station and the lake. It was a long walk but the weather was nice, just as Susan had said. The giant squid apparently thought the bouncing rocks were funny and seemed to try and play some form of baseball with them. After some time playing squirt baseball one of the rocks suddenly hurled right back at Terry. He quickly dived out of the way as the rest first stood a bit shocked then laughed at Terry's dismay when he realized that he had managed to land in a puddle.

"It looks like I had an accident. Merlin, why does this always happen to me?" Susan snickered as she waved her wand. A drying charm later all was well.

"Thanks Susan. Why don't we head back, it's nearly eleven."

"Sure, I don't want to end up in the hospital wing again." Harry quipped. They decided to slowly walk back to the castle, jumping down from stones and giggling as they raced each other over the flat part before the came to a rockier patch.

"Do you want to talk about it Harry? I hope it wasn't prolonged exposure to Heliwasps." Luna was the first to bring up why Harry had been in the hospital wing but did so a bit timidly. Harry smiled at her.

"No it wasn't exposure to Heliwasps, but thank you for your concern. I was fitted for my lenses and theydiscoverthatIhadneverbeentothedoctor." They all blinked at him.

"Come again?" Terry was the first to recover.

"Since I went to the Dursley's I've never been to a doctor, a muggle healer to get vaccinations and stuff." They nodded and left the matter. While it was obvious that there was more to it, none of them forced Harry to talk more about it. Harry was very thankful for that. He didn't really want to talk about it, not yet anyway. Unfortunately all didn't respect this. When Harry finally returned to the common room he met Ron and Hermione who both looked worried and upset.

"Harry, are you alright! Madame Pomfrey said you left hours ago!" Harry smiled and hugged Hermione and did the man shake with Ron.

"No I'm fine, they just needed to fix my eyes and then they discovered I hadn't gotten all my vaccinations." Ron seemed to accept that and sat down before a chess set.

"It's not good that you missed the practice, Wood was really annoyed. Couldn't you get them some other time?" Sighing, but knowing that he hadn't told them everything, so Ron couldn't really understand exactly why Harry had to miss practice.

"Escaping Madame Pomfrey is no easy feat, mate. I've spent enough time there to know that." Ron grunted in response and seemed annoyed that no one seemed inclined to play with him. Hermione didn't seem to be satisfied with Harry's answers though.

"Well, why haven't you had your vaccinations? That shouldn't have taken all night so why did you have to stay? We were really worried Harry and then you didn't even come to find us when you got out!" Harry closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He knew Hermione reacted like this when she was worried. He didn't really like it but he knew it was her way of showing she cared, just as Ron just couldn't understand why Harry had to stay instead of playing.

"I met Susan Bones and took a walk with her, Terry Boot and Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw. It was nice to stretch my legs after being stuck in the hospital wing. I didn't think you'd worry, since I was there for the eye thing and a prefect came with a note. I'm sorry if I worried you." Hermione flung her arms around him and sighed.

"Of course we worried mate. But you seem alright to me now. If your hungry, lunch's soon and I'm starving." Laughing at the very Ron comment, Harry agreed with him and the friends went down to lunch. Even if Harry found several things with Ron and Hermione annoying they were still his friends and after two years Harry still wasn't really accustomed to someone worrying over his well being.

During lunch Harry found his nutrition potion next to his plate as he sat down. He smiled thinking about Mimsy. He'd need to go down and thank the house elves. Harry didn't have time to go down to the kitchen that day as the Gryffindor's threw a party due to Harry's lack of glasses, the twins had as with every party smuggled a lot of food and snacks up from the kitchen. Well Harry becoming glass less was the excuse anyway. He thought it might have more to do with the uppers years desire to party a bit before the grueling years of OWLs and NEWTs continued. No matter the reason the party was fun as butterbear, pumpkin juice and various snacks were put up and consumed. In one corner there was an impromptu gobstones tournament as well as an exploding snap competition. Other talked and laughed in groups as most tried to relax. Harry spent most of the party relaxing and listening to others. Oliver had cornered him and given him the play by play of the practice, but Harry had sort of tuned him out after the first quarter of an hour.

"… and then the twins shot the bludger at me so I had to talk with them a bit, but than we practiced the girl's new formation and I think it works really well but they need to adjust the distance between them…" The party continued until the prefects realized it was a school night and shooed the students back to bed.

"Come on Perce, there's still time! Come on have a butterbear!" Harry smirked as he heard the twins as they tried to cajole their head boy brother to let the party continue.

"Absolutely not! Tomorrow's Monday and it's already late. The younger years should have been in bed ages ago!" Amidst some muttering all went back to bed, but most seemed to be too tired to complain.

As he went to bed that evening Harry thought about the changes during the past months. For the first time since he was seven or eight he felt that he could do well in school. He had almost forgotten the feeling. He remembered vividly when uncle Vernon had looked at one of his report cards one day, instead of just ignoring him. Uncle Vernon had turned purple and given Harry a thrashing for cheating and sabotaging Dudley. Harry had gotten really high scores and a note from the teacher complimenting his hard work. Harry liked school. He liked reading. He could escape from reality with stories and other things. The Dursley's couldn't kill Harry's curiosity or his desire to escape. He still did the assignments, he just made sure the thing he handed in wasn't great just passable. He berated himself for not going back to his previous hard work when he came to Hogwarts. Why had he made sure to perform just as Ron?

Harry realized with a heavy feeling, that he had been afraid that if he was different from Ron, Ron would stop being Harry's friend. It was not a nice thought. Harry guessed he still didn't really trust others to care for him or like him for who he was. The whole boy-who-lived thing hadn't helped with the whole trust issue.

Harry didn't want to continue like that. He liked getting praise from the teacher and the feeling when he understood the runes or solved an arithmancy problem. He liked being good at defense, getting things quicker in charms and having less potion mishaps. What Harry liked most of all however was getting to know new people during his new lessons and the language groups. Cedric, Luna, Penny, Susan and Terry were the persons he was the closest to but there were also others who he knew by name and what they liked and could talk to. Perhaps, Harry thought, change isn't so bad. He had much to do already, but perhaps he could check if there was some other group he could join. If it was some form of physical training he could even get Wood to agree with the idea. A thought struck Harry just as he started to relax enough to fall asleep; perhaps he could learn to swim properly. Now he just managed to stay afloat. With a smile Harry finally went to sleep.


	5. Chapter five

The next day was an ordinary plain Monday. Despite the revelations Harry had had the evening before he didn't feel any different. He had thought these big introspective things came with a new feeling of self, but he just felt like Harry. Harry was glad however that they had arithmancy that day. He wanted to speak to Terry about learning to swim properly and see if he knew some solution. He didn't really know why he preferred to speak to a guy about it rather than a girl, but he didn't really have time to dwell on it.

Harry got his chance later that day. The lessons had been packed with people and while it was very interesting Harry was looking forward to speaking with Terry. Making some excuse to Hermione and Susan Harry darted after Terry. Harry caught up with him after a few paces and fell into step with him

"Terry, could I ask you something without you laughing at me?"

"Of course, why would I laugh?" Harry shrugged and fixed his book bag strap and in the process he managed to avoid looked in Terry.

"Well I don't really know how to swim properly and all… But I'd like to learn." Terry nodded thoughtfully.

"That's fine, it happens more than you'd think. You know there is a prefect's bathroom, but I also know they used to have these swimming lessons at Hogwarts some time ago when that was more common. I'll check with Penny, she might know more about it." Harry smiled at Terry.

"Thanks. And could you help me, you know?" Terry nodded.

"Sure, of course." Feeling very relieved Harry headed to the library to get as much of the days homework done as possible.

The next day after classes, Terry and his friend Anthony met Harry in the library next to the table they, Susan, Hermione, Ron and a bunch of other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs sat and did their homework at. They dragged him back outside before the librarian could spot them.

"So Penny gave us a tip. I think we have a solution to your problem." Harry raised his eyebrows.

"That was fast." Terry huffed.

"Well, now you deal with the house of the clever and efficient." He winked at Harry who elbowed him at the dig at Gryffindor. Laughing, the boys made it to the first floor, to a corridor Harry had never really been into. There was a huge pool in the center, quite shallow but with large dimensions. Harry thought aunt Petunia had once said something about 'Olympic size'. Perhaps that was it.

The boys jumped in the shallowest part where they could stand yet still have their head over the water.

"Okay, show us how much you can do. We promise not to laugh." Anthony nodded at Terry's words.

"I didn't learn until I was ten, so no worries." Feeling self conscious Harry nodded and began paddling. After a few strokes Terry stopped him.

"Okay, try to move your arms like this." Harry copied.

"Good now try to do some more of that, Anthony will you help him?" Terry stepped back and looked at Harry's technique. He nodded.

"Good. It'll take some getting used to but you've gotten the technique down, it was almost what you did before. Now with your legs you just sort of swing them right now, try to kick them more like this. Hang onto the edge and kick a bit." Harry did as Terry said and felt really silly. They boys looked at each other and they all started laughing. After some more attempts and practices they started helping Harry to do laps. It went slowly and the feeling was very weird, Harry thought, but he did manage to slowly swim around the pool.

"Great! Should we try again in a couple of days? Do you have practice on Wednesdays?" Harry nodded. The boys gathered their things and walked out of the room.

"But not today, so Tuesday's fine and Fridays or Sundays as well." The other boys thought about it as they started up the grand staircase.

"Well not on Sundays, but perhaps Tuesdays and Fridays?" Anthony said and the other boys nodded.

"Sounds good. And we should do it for a few weeks. Perhaps until the end of term?" Terry said and the other two boys agreed. The boys separated on the fourth floor as the Ravenclaw boys headed to their tower.

With another thing added to the list of things Harry did he had no time to figure out how to handle his growing irritation with Hermione and Ron. They still had fun sometimes, and they laughed together. Harry just shrugged it off and decided that he could try to figure it out some other time.

Wood seemed insistent that the team should make sure to be almost asleep with exhaustion at all times. Harry had lost count the times he had to drag himself back to the tower after practice. Usually the girls supported each other and the twins and Harry tried to not fall into a combined heap on the floor. As they finally managed to fall into the tower after practice one day before Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw one of the twins managed to speak a bit.

"I think that I will throw Oliver over the edge of the north tower if he ever mentions extra practices again." With a tired laugh, the rest of the group agreed as their house mates helped them on their feet and into the showers.

The next day was dismal, but still not as horrid as the game the dementors had stormed the pitch in, and Wood was bouncing around as Ravenclaw dismantled the Hufflepuff team.

"This is brilliant. Now we can still win. Had Hufflepuff won, the points would have been hard to recapture, but now if we beat Ravenclaw we are at even keel. Then we still need to worry about Slytherin, but then we can still win. We should schedule more practices, I will go and do that…" at the last word the twins threw themselves over Oliver and pinned him down. Then they carried him up to the boys dormitories, similar to the way they had carried their brother during Harry's first Christmas in the castle.

The happy news, for Gryffindor, did make Oliver more fanatical, but the rest of the team forced him to realize that this was a school and most of them had OWLs or NEWTs. So they needed time to study as well. The term progressed in a stream of tests and essays. The next game wasn't until after Christmas. The only indication the students really got that the weeks were slipping away was the fact that one day professor McGonagall was gathering the names of the students who were going to stay in the castle for Christmas. Harry was obviously staying, and was glad to find that not only had Hermione and Ron decided to stay, but also Terry. Susan and Luna had mentioned that they were their father (in Luna's case) or aunt's (in Susan's case) only relatives, so they always returned home for the holidays. Harry hugged them, because he knew that he was one of the reasons they thought about staying.

With more friends an unexpected problem arose for Harry. What on earth would he get them for Christmas? He wanted to give something they wanted but also something practical. He didn't want to give them something like candy/sweets; he really wanted to give them something they could use.

He had already decided what to give to Hermione. He had found in an owl order catalog (that Penny had given him) a hair pin thingy that was spelled to not let any stray hair lose. Since Hermione always complained about her hair after tests, potions and herbology he thought she would like it. It was in carved wood that was colored blue. Harry thought it looked pretty. He hoped Hermione would like it.

Ron always tried to borrow other's 'quidditch bi weekly', a very popular quidditch magazine, so Harry had decided to give him his own subscription. He knew that Ron didn't like that Harry had more money than Ron did, but Harry could always inform him that Hermione's gift cost just as much and their friendship was worth more than gold.

Harry's new friends were a bit more difficult. As a seeker Harry knew that Cedric would appreciate the new seeker gloves he had bought him as cold wrists became stiff and up where seekers flew, the air was always freezing. Penny's present had been easier as she had made sure to point out several things she liked in the owl order magazine. He bought her a charm for her charm bracelet. It looked like a guardian angel, something he thought she was for Luna.

Luna liked to make things, so he had ordered a make your own jewelry kit for her. Conventional jewelry would not fit Luna. Terry had wanted a new book about Nordic mythology that was really expensive for a Hogwarts student, so Harry and Susan had collaborated on that present. Susan would be getting a similar present as the one Harry was giving Hermione. She said she always needed to have her hair in a plait to control it and sometimes wanted to let her hair hang loose. He couldn't help her completely but a charmed headband in changing colors might make it easier for her. Anthony had wanted a wizard wireless, which Harry had gotten him.

The quidditch team had also been slightly challenging. The twins also needed flexibility and warm wrists, so they also got gloves. Oliver couldn't wear gloves but he got a form of wrist warmers. Angelina, Alicia and Katie had looked over his shoulder into the magazine, flipped a few pages and marked size and color for undershirts for female quidditch players.

"I want this in green, Katie that one in blue right? Yeah and then Alicia, purple right? Got that Potter?" Harry nodded as the girls smirked at him and moved away.

"Thanks!" He yelled after them as he had no idea what he would have gotten them otherwise, as all three had excellent gloves. Harry wouldn't have dared to give undershirts to them if they hadn't told him, he'd be too afraid to get his ass kicked.

The rest of the term continued on as normal with the promise of dementor repelling lessons from Lupin after the holidays. In the midst of end of term exams, results given on Christmas Eve, thank you very much, and ordering and wrapping presents for friends Harry had no time to worry. After the exams and everything was wrapped Harry watched Ron and Hermione go off on another Hogsmeade visit.

Feeling down Harry was on his way back to the library when he was dragged into an old classroom. He liked the twins; they never tried to humiliate their victims like Malfoy or Dudley did, but he himself would never become a prankster because even if you meant well you might still hurt people. The map they showed him was brilliant. Harry wondered what kind of charms that had been used to create it.

"Has it got any safety features?" The twins smirked and pointed with their wands at the map.

"I demand you to reveal your secret, I am a prefect." Harry snorted, as if McGonagall would ever be mad enough. The twins grinned as Harry raised his eyebrows as insults appeared on the previous blank page. Since they had given Harry the password and code to clear the parchment as well as the map itself, the twins winked and went on their way. Harry was still smiling trying to imagine the twins as innocent. Nope that had probably never been true. He paused as they walked away. Should he?

"Guys? You know your mom probably would be easier on you if you put a bit of effort into school work. See it as a way to do research. You never know when a spell, plant or potion might come in handy." The twins nodded thoughtfully and grinned.

"Perhaps we will, are you offering to become our new test subject." Harry smirked.

"Wood would kill you if anything hindered me in the next game." With a shudder the twins agreed and went off in pursuit of trouble while Harry fetched his invisibility cloak and slipped down into the passage way. This would be fun, perhaps not smart, but definitely fun, Harry thought.

As he walked through the passageway he thought about what he would do in the village. The snow would be a problem. He cast a charm on his feet to move the snow back up when he walked away. That way he wouldn't leave foot imprints in the snow.

But with whom should he spend his time in Hogsmeade? Hermione would flip, so she and Ron were out. Cedric and Penny were both prefects. Luna was doing her holiday work, but had shooed him away. Since she was a second year, she wasn't allowed into Hogsmeade yet. Terry and Anthony were with a larger group. But Harry did spot Susan alone. Perhaps it wasn't a great idea, her aunt was in the law enforcement, but Harry didn't want to be responsible today. He wanted to have fun. He snuck up on Susan.

"Don't scream please Susan but I'm in an invisibility cloak right beside you." Susan swirled around.

"Are you insane?! You nearly gave me a heart attack. Show me your face." Harry did and Susan quickly motioned for him to put it back on again. Harry rushed to give her the story, well a summary at least.

"Right, you can't stay long so what do you really want to do? The candy/sweet shop crowd's thinning out but the joke shop is cramped." Harry thought about it.

"I'd like to go to Honeydukes and the shrieking shack? I'd really like to try a butterbeer though." She nodded thoughtfully.

"I'm supposed to met Hannah and Ernie later at the pub, why don't you keep your cloak on then and I'll get pints for all of us and you can smuggle yours into your cloak." Said and done, they slunk into Honeydukes, where Harry spent more time just absorbing everything rather than choosing what to buy. As he knew that Ron and Hermione, as well as Terry and Anthony were going to buy him sweets, he didn't buy much. After some careful arranging of candy from Susan to Harry, as he agreed to carry hers as well as she had to act like she was alone and felt weird about it. The shrieking shack was a bit of a let down but they could talk more freely there as no one was around. They went back to the village and the three broom sticks.

The pub was crammed but Susan managed to find a table and get drinks. Harry wriggled the butterbear under his cloak and tried to enjoy it and still drink quickly.

Soon the door opened and Harry froze. Thankfully it wasn't Hannah or Ernie yet, but it was worse. In came Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall and the Minister for Magic. It felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. He quickly put back his drink and tried to see a good way to leave, but there were too many people to get through to leave now. Harry forced himself to be still. He just needed some more people to leave and then everything would be fine. Then the professors and the Minister sat down on the table next to Susan and Harry's.

When they decided to talk about Black everything became blurry for Harry. Was he really going to find out about whatever it was while he had to be silent and still?!

It was worse than Harry had thought. That man had betrayed Harry's family. He had been their friend, Harry's godfather and he had been the one who had handed them over to Riddle! Harry was furious. The professors were leaving. Susan hissed into his ear.

"I'm so, so sorry, Harry but Hannah and Ernie are coming." Hearing the panic in her voice Harry managed to get up. He didn't really know how, but somehow he ended up back in the castle outside the passageway. Feeling shocked, he slowly walked up to his dormitory and lay on the bed. The others would ask why he was in bed if he didn't say something. Harry sighed and put an arm over his eyes. He quickly wrote a note about a headache, nothing big, and lay down again.

A few hours ago, fun was the only thing on his mind as he thought about sneaking out. He wanted to be reckless and just enjoy himself, going around the village like everybody else. He had been so stupid. He wished that he had never gone to the village. Harry thought about what would make someone betray a friend. Not only a friend; Sirius Black had betrayed someone he pretended to see as a brother. He had sold them to Riddle!

Now he knew what Malfoy had meant with his questions in potions that day but he didn't care. Should Black come his way, Harry would act, but it might be a good idea from the sound of things to get a bit more training under the belt before confronting him. He wouldn't be getting revenge if Black murdered him.


	6. Chapter six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No friendships were killed in the making of this chapter.

The first day of the holidays seemed calm on the outside, but on the inside Harry was reeling. The only one who knew what Harry had heard was Susan and she had to leave for home the morning after. The same morning the news came that Buckbeak's hearing was in April. While they still had been doing some research to the matter Harry, Hermione and Ron had still almost forgotten about it with the end of term exams approaching. Now that they were over, they threw themselves into their research.

Harry liked the excuse to do something that required minimal human interaction. He didn't feel up for fun or chatting right now. He was still confused and conflicted about Black. A part of him just wanted to tear things apart and go after Black. However even in his anger Harry realized that even if he wanted to get revenge, he was thirteen and up against the only person ever to break out from Azkaban. The odds would not be on his side.

But Harry didn't want to stop living. He had so many things he liked about life now and what was the point if he was only focused on revenge? He hated Black yes, but would his parents really appreciate him becoming some robot revenge drone? Harry didn't know but he would guess that they wouldn't.

It still hurt however. Harry wished that he had known them. He knew practically nothing about them. Apart from their blood status, first names, his mother being good at charms and his dad at transfiguration and Quidditch, Harry knew nothing about them really. He didn't know who their friends were or even their middle names. He didn't even know where they were buried.

All these thoughts hurt. Harry couldn't stand it and he had no outlet for it. The weather was too bad for flying, Susan was the only one who knew so he couldn't talk to anyone and he couldn't just destroy things. So Harry went to his new escape technique: studying. Of course it was defense books he studied at the moment. He had found one particularly interesting, called 'Defense with Creativity'. It detailed all these common charms and spells and how they could be used for your defense like they had done with the troll and the club in first year.

Their holiday homework was, of course, also calling their attention. They had all decided to try and fix as much as possible before Christmas so that they didn't need to do the customary hurry after New Years.

That didn't mean that Harry spent several days silent. Terry had stayed in the castle along with two first year Ravenclaws. Besides the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindor trio there was only one other third year, a Slytherin. Her name was Daphne Greengrass and Harry had never spoken to her properly. They shared their Spanish lesson (Daphne apparently already knew French) and also took the same electives. Since one was in Slytherin and the other in Gryffindor however, they interacted very little.

The results from the end of term exams arrived the morning of Christmas Eve. Harry was very pleased with his results and did a small happy dance in his dormitory since Ron was still asleep and no one else could see him. Harry did really well on the exams, barring potions and astronomy but he still passed those. Later during breakfast Harry looked up as Daphne Greengrass rose from the Slytherin table.

"Greengrass!" Harry sprinted after Daphne the morning of Christmas Eve as she exited the Great hall. She turned around and looked a bit surprised.

"What do you want Potter?" she didn't say it with a sneer like Malfoy would, but more warily.

"Well Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein are coming as well as the two Ravenclaw first years, Sheila and Jessica, and we are going swimming. Hermione and Ron won't come; they didn't feel up to it. But we wanted to invite you as well." She looked surprised but smiled at him.

"I'd like that. Where is the pool?" Harry gave her the directions as the bubbly first years came out of the hall and almost bumped into Harry as they chattered about swimming.

"Sorry Harry! I'm so glad we're going swimming, I'd missed it. Do you think we can transfigure floating devises as well as stuff like that?" Harry nodded as he quickly followed them, not wanting the two eleven year olds to be alone in the pool. He walked backwards still looking at Daphne.

"I hope you join us, it'll be fun to do something like this. Besides Jessica and Sheila have been begging us to go and swim with them since they found out about it." Daphne laughed as Harry stumbled a bit as he turned around.

"I'll make sure to come and have some fun with them." With that she went down to the dungeons as Harry went to the swimming pool. Terry and Anthony were thankfully already there, and Anthony apparently was transforming these floating devices the girls had been talking about. Harry was so busy staring at the weird things that he missed little Sheila pushing him into the pool.

Spluttering, Harry surfaced and tried not to flush as the others laughed. Sheila and Jessica didn't know that Harry had been going to the pool to learn to swim, so he couldn't be angry. But he was thankful that he was better at swimming now.

Revenge however is sometimes the best tactic. So Harry decided to start a water fight. Soon it became all out anarchy as it was everyone for themselves.

"HA I got you!" Sheila screeched as she managed to get a tidal wave over Terry who spluttered. They could all hear laughter from the door. Daphne stood there laughing as she quickly threw down her robe and jumped in.

"You go girl, let's take the boys down." The other quickly agreed and unfortunately for the boys, the girls won hands down.

"Well that was fun. I'll remember to beat you at water wars some more." Daphne gloated good naturally.

"Sure as long as I get to beat Slytherin in Quidditch" Harry retorted. Daphne rolled her eyes as the Ravenclaws laughed.

Time had run away from them during their playful games however and Harry headed back to the common rooms. He had promised to spend the afternoon with Hermione and Ron. The library was closed since it was Christmas Eve but Hermione still had managed to borrow an impressive stack of books.

Harry had in the past few days done most of his homework; he only had astronomy and history left. Binns had chosen a particularly boring subject this time, asking them to write a four feet essay on the importance of the history of taxation for the evolution of the magical nations. Since he had never talked about the subject in class, most of the students had grumbled about it a lot.

Hermione looked up as Harry entered. Ron was engrossed in his potions essay. He had started to study a bit more recently. Ron had always done the assignments, he didn't try and come with stupid excuses like some, but recently he had started to do a little bit more. Harry was glad to see that because Ron was good, he just constantly took himself down by comparing his achievements to his brothers.

"Did you have fun?" Harry nodded and fell down into a chair before the fire.

"We had a really good time. The first years seemed to really enjoy themselves. We promised them to do it again; perhaps we should drag all the first years down for a swim. Daphne agreed that it might be a good idea and it was Terry's idea. What do you guys think?" Hermione nodded absently.

"Well I guess the first years have time for it, but I need to study. I hope it works out." Harry looked at Ron who looked like he had eaten something sour.

"A Slytherin, really! They're just a pack of backstabbing bigots. Why would you invite them?" Harry looked at him.

"Not all of them. Snape and Malfoy aren't my favorite people in the world but why should I exclude a bunch of eleven year olds. If we get to know them now and they get to know muggleborns surely that would be better?" Ron snorted but shrugged.

"Better you then me. I don't trust them." Ron sulked about that for a while, but since the work for Buckbeak's hearing seemed to go forward decently as well as a delicious dinner made the mood of everyone better. The rest of Christmas Eve passed quickly as the snow continued to fall outside the castle's windows.

The next day the snow was thick outside and everyone in the castle woke up to a pile of presents at the end of their beds. Harry had a larger haul then ever, but was thankful that it wasn't as big as Dudley's had been. He never wanted to be so spoilt.

Harry received a deck of exploding cards that rise from the ashes like a phoenix from the twins, new gloves from Wood, as well as undershirts from Angelina, Alicia and Katie in green, purple and blue - the same color on the shirts they had requested. Ron had given him a wireless together with Hermione. He was touched by the thoughtful gift, since they didn't require active magic to be used so he could use it during the summer. Harry felt a twinge of guilt for not having told them that he would not be returning to Privet Drive. He just didn't want to talk about why.

Moving on to the rest of the gifts, Harry had been given a new jumper and sweets from Mrs Weasley and hugged the shirt when Ron didn't see him. It meant more to him than any gold that she cared for him, simply because he was friends with her children.

Cedric and Penny had joined forces and given him a few books about charms, transfiguration and ancient runes that they swore would make OWLs much easier. Harry smiled at the thoughtful gift as they both knew Harry wanted new books on these subjects. Luna had given Harry a necklace to wear under his clothes that held a protective charm. The accompanying note said that it had belonged to her mother's brother. Harry made sure to send her a thank you note. Susan had given Harry a couple of wizarding fiction books, from children stories to classics.

Terry and Anthony had given him two things, first as a joke a certificate of swimming, like the ones they give little kids. They had also given him two sets robes one in green and one in blue, since Harry had admitted that he didn't have any wizarding clothing apart from his school robes. Some would think it a boring present, but for Harry it meant they had listened and actually tried to understand what he really wanted. Harry was angry at himself for not buying additional robes during the summer. Clothing was a large part of how you felt, represented yourself and was seen. Wearing muggle clothes or school robes meant Harry still had a distance from those who had lived in the magical world all their lives.

"Presents Harry! Great, you've actually gotten some this year. I'm glad." Ron chucked a pillow at Harry as he started ripping into his small mountain of presents.

"Happy Christmas Ron."

"Happy Christmas to you too Harry." Just as Ron was done and Harry had moved his presents to their new places on his desk, in the drawer or in the wardrobe Harry realized that there was another present on the bed. It was a long package and felt oddly familiar. When Harry had finished with the wrappings he simply stared in shock. Who would give him something as expensive as this?

Ron came to see what was keeping Harry preoccupied since he had tried thanking Harry for his present several times with no success.

"Merlin's beard! Godric Harry who gave it to you?" the boys started looking for a note as Hermione came into their dormitories. Harry ignored the exchange between Hermione and Ron about Crookshanks as well as the weirdness that was the fact that girls were allowed into the boy's room but not the opposite. Harry bent down to see if any note was under the bed. He found nothing and proceeded to shake the quilt to see if anything was hidden in it.

"Goodness, who gave you that broom Harry?" Hermione asked Harry, seeing the broom on his bed.

"I don't know I can't find a note." Hermione bit her lip and seemed worried. Harry assumed it was because she also knew that most wouldn't give such an expensive gift and if they did most would say from whom. Harry tuned them out as they continued to bicker. Did he know anyone able to give him this broom? He could think of no one rich enough who would give him an anonymous present.

"Harry could I have a go at it later?" Ron asked. Before Harry could reply Hermione screeched.

"I don't think anyone should ride that broom!" Harry sensed another argument and tried to stop it.

"Guys lets talk about it later. How about breakfast?" grumbling, the two followed Harry to the great hall where Harry thanked Terry and Anthony for their presents and vice versa.

Thankfully things were more peaceful during the rest of the morning and afternoon. The students still in the castle had a snow fight and had a combination of lunch and tea served in their common rooms before Christmas dinner. At Christmas dinner, a few professors had unexpectedly had to leave for relatives while Professor Lupin was ill.

The dinner went mostly smoothly but with Professor Trelawney and her predictions of a table of thirteen ("the first who rises shall die") Harry was very thankful he switched classes. The woman seemed to thrive to predict doom and gloom and most of the time very personal misgivings for people. Harry decided to try and avoid the woman as much as possible. He also saw that professor McGonagall made sure that Harry sat a distance away from both Professors Trelawney and Dumbledore.

The big issue of the day unfortunately wasn't that it was Christmas day, but the fact that Harry got a Christmas present above the ordinary. The world class, exquisite Firebolt was confiscated by Professor McGonagall whose look promised future discussions. Harry had taken down the broom from the dormitories and examined it. He had been on a cursed broom once, which was enough. However, he had heard the proprietor in Diagon Alley talk about the security of this broom. Could it really be cursed?

Harry didn't have time to wonder as Hermione had taken matters into her own hand without talking to Harry. She said nothing as Professor McGonagall took the broom for examinations while Ron spluttered. Harry looked at Hermione and Ron as they argued and the only thing Harry felt was emptiness. Finally he raised his voice.

"Hermione I'm happy you look out for me, but did it ever occur to you that I'm not a toddler that needs to do what he's told! You could have told me and we could have fixed this together, instead of you sneaking behind my back, making decisions for me!" Harry took a deep breath and continued. Everything he had suppressed for months welled up.

"I might not have your grades but could you please stop behaving as if the rest of us are stupid if we don't get your scores or if we don't know everything. You're my friend so talk to me; talk with me, instead of going to a teacher as a first response. How would you feel if I went to Professor McGonagall or Madame Pomfrey and told them I feared for you health due to the stress of all your classes and thought that you need rest and perhaps drop one! You'd make a big scene and yell at me for not talking to you about it! That is what you just did, belittled me and acted as if I can't be reasoned with or as if I am incapable of making decision of my own health!" Hermione looked ready to argue back, but Harry didn't let her.

"I want to be your friend Hermione and yes I'm glad you care! But don't you get it that it's this behavior as if you're so much better and more intelligent than the rest of us that puts people on edge and not your actual intelligence or grades. Be proud of those, but treat the rest of us as your equals; we're just the same!" Harry was infuriated with Hermione and everything that Harry had carried around spilled out of his mouth. He knew she did it out of care but that didn't make it better. He's not stupid. How could she not talk to him about it? He turned and headed up to his bed. He had lost all pleasure in this Christmas.


	7. Chapter seven

That night Harry slept poorly. While he knew that Hermione has not acted the way a friends should; she should have talked to him first instead of assuming that he wouldn't see reason, Harry didn't feel any less guilty. He had never really argued with a friend before. Usually it was Hermione and Ron at each others throats constantly. He was uncertain whether he liked this change. However Harry had known for weeks that he needed to do something to inform Hermione of her behavior. Harry had spent so much time wondering over the matter that he hadn't considered the fact that Ron hadn't said anything to him when he went to bed as well.

The next day, Harry woke up before Ron and made his way to the bathroom. He was still conflicted about yesterday and hurt by Hermione's actions. He truly believed what he told her, she always acted as if he was incapable of making rational decisions. Harry returned after his shower to the dormitory to find Ron sitting up in the bed. Harry grabbed his clothes and started to pull his robes on.

"You know mate, I know things are tough on you and that Hermione went over the line with the Firebolt thing, but you can't just take your anger and frustrations out on us. You do it sometimes and it's not our fault that you have problems." Harry stared at Ron in shock. Had he really heard him correctly? Knowing this might cost him both his oldest friends Harry made a decision. If he was supposed to be meek and always the one at fault, this friendship was not worth it. They had to accept that they could be at fault as well.

"Ron, she didn't even know what I thought about it. She assumed that I would do something stupid and went over my head. Its belittling and patronizing. Not something a true friend would do to another. She's been snapping at people all the term for doing well in school. I had every right to be mad at her. Or would you be alright if she went to a professor over something about you and didn't talk to you about it first, for example your wand last year?" Ron glared at him.

"She's worried and this is how she does it. I hate that the broom is gone but face it Harry, she does know more. She said that you're acting out on us and I agree." Harry shook his head.

"So it's alright for you two to argue all the time and drag me into it. It is alright for the two of you to not notice the fact that I'm covered in bruises and weighing fifteen pounds less after every summer, but it is not alright for me to point out when you are wrong. What you are suggesting Ron is bollocks. You are wrong sometimes, the both of you, and so am I. Look, I care about you two, but if you can't accept the fact that I'm not the meek eleven year old who was terrified to lose his first friends and let you two dictate who I should speak to then fine. I won't bother you again."

"You don't realize how lucky you are Ron. All the time you complain about money and my gifts to you and I try to explain. I used to have nothing, no money no family. Now I have family, but I will never get any parents or siblings. You've got a wonderful family Ron. Be happy about them. Don't be ashamed because you don't have money because you've got love. I'd love to have a family. And yet you complain about it and just yesterday it took me ten minutes for you to stop complaining that your presents were too expensive. Do you know what present meant the most to me yesterday Ron? The jumper from your mum." Harry took a deep breath.

"Look Ron, you and Hermione are my friends but you don't act like it. You dictate who I can see and how I can act. Hermione takes for granted that I can't think for myself and get angry when I excel at something. You are always making me feel ashamed that my parents left me money and guilty when I do something without you. I want to be your friend and friends don't put conditions like these on their friendships. If I flaunted my money like Malfoy I'd understand. Of course I won't abandon you because I meet other people, but I will if you keep acting like this." Harry turned around and walked away, even more down than before after their talk.

He was furious that both of them tried to pin this on him. For a moment it had worked. As a child everything was his fault. It had been extremely difficult to try and break this pattern, but Harry had drawn strength from his new friendships. He had seen several discussions and conflicts between his new friends and others and had realized that some parts of his friendship with Hermione and Ron was not as well as he thought. It hurt to think so, but at the same time the past day had proved it. He meant what he said to Ron. Harry refused to be the permanent scapegoat in their friendship.

He hoped their friendship would survive, but was afraid it wouldn't. In particular he was afraid to lose the other Weasleys, mainly the twins and Mrs Weasley. They weren't perfect, Harry assumed no one was, but they loved each other unconditionally. He wished that he'd have such a family.

Harry wondered around and found himself in the owlery where Hedwig purred and cooed to him, nestled to his chest. Head bowed Harry cried over his first friendship and how they had ended up. Hermione and Ron had been the closest thing Harry had had to a family after he had ended up with the Dursleys and one way or another Harry doubted things would ever be the same.

Harry sent notes to Susan, Cedric and Penny to reassure himself that he had not acted badly. After all, the three of them had talked to Harry about the way Ron and Hermione were acting around Harry. Having sent the notes with Hedwig, Harry walked down to McGonagall's office. He knocked on her door.

"Come in." Harry opened the door and was a bit surprised to see professor Flitwick there as well along with the broom Harry had been given. The tiny professor looked at him and spoke.

"I am sorry, Mr Potter, but you cannot have your broom back yet. Miss Granger did tell us this morning that you would ask for it back and that you sadly have argued over the matter. It really is for the best that we investigate the matter." Harry let the professor finish as he liked the little man and respected his teachers too much to retort before he was finished.

"I am not here for my broom professor. I wonder how Hermione would know my feelings about the broom, since we never discussed the matter before she went to Professor McGonagall. I fully understand your concerns as I don't know who might have sent me this. As to the argument with Hermione I pointed out to her that I found it unacceptable that she would not discuss the matter with me, and she went to Professor McGonagall behind my back, and only assume how I would feel or reason I am here is because I wanted to ask about where my parents are buried. I know that people in the muggle world at least use to go to their parent's grave at Christmas or Yule, but I've never been." Both the professors stared at Harry in shock. He usually wasn't this talkative to professors. Professor Flitwick seemed to recover first.

"I apologize for my assumption Mr Potter. I clearly misjudged the matter. The broom will be returned to you one way or another and I am sorry that we did not discuss the matter properly with you." Professor Flitwick seemed quite sad, but Harry couldn't really understand why. Professor McGonagall looked pained.

"Mr Potter I'm sorry. I suppose I trusted Miss Granger so much that I forgot to even find out your version of events. Now on the matter of your parent's grave, there I can help you. They are buried close to your home in Godric's hollow. If Filius is amenable, we might make an exception and go there today." She looked at him and professor Flitwick.

"Everybody has the right to mourn their parent's death, Harry. I never thought about the fact that you never even knew where they rest. Come with me Harry." They didn't walk directly down to the gates to apparate, Professor McGonagall led them towards a part of the ground Harry rarely went to. Professor Flitwick had gone back to his office before they would depart.  
Hogwarts had a kitchen garden for the use of the house elves as well as orchards and an herb garden. But adjacent to those there as a small walled garden with a plate on the gate: Teacher's Meadow. Inside the garden there were trees and a lot of plants properly more vibrant in spring or summer. Professor McGonagall turned to Harry.

"Usually when someone visits their beloved at the graveyard they bring flowers, candles or a wreath. I can conjure a candle but it thought you might want to make a wreath yourself." Harry fought back the lump in his throat and nodded. Together they found evergreens, pine cones, heather as well as some charmed white roses to bind into the wreath. As they made the wreath Professor McGonagall showed him how to bind it.

"This is how my mother used to do it. She was from Sweden and some things she never forgot. Even if she embraced Scotland as her new home fully, she never forgot her homeland." As they were finished they met up with Professor Flitwick and apparated as soon as they were out of the gates.  
Harry decided quickly that apparating was not a pleasant feeling. Feeling nauseous Harry tried to distract himself by looking around the area they landed in. They were in a small yard filled with trees. He followed the professors as they walked out of it and quickly scanned the graves. When he found the one he was looking for he choked a little. With trembling hands Harry laid down the wreath and let the tears fall freely.

"I wish you were here. I miss you so much." Harry could hear as the teachers inched away from Harry to let him have his privacy.

"I know your voice now mum. I guess it's the only good thing to come from the dementors. I'd need your advice right now. I have these friends, we've been through so much but they expect me to be this person that I'm not and when I don't fit that mold they get angry. I don't know what to do about it. But I'm happy to say that I never have to go back to the Dursley's. I can't believe that it's finally happened. I wish I knew more about you. Until today I didn't know where we lived or you were buried. I guess it's what happens when you become orphaned." Harry sniffled.

'"I love you both, I hope you know that. I've got pictures of you, Hagrid managed to get an album together for me at the end of first year." Harry traced the names on the grave and just sat there on his knees in the snow before his parent's grave. The grey stone was illuminated by the soft light from the grey sky and the candles from Harry, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. Professor McGonagall had conjured a light for Harry just as she promised.

Finally as Harry could no longer feel his legs, he felt a hand on his shoulders and looked up into Professor McGonagall's eyes. She handed him a handkerchief. Harry took it with a wobbly smile. He stood from his kneeling position and professor McGonagall cast a drying charm on him.

As they walked out of the graveyard they took a different route. Harry was about to ask why when he saw the silhouette of a destroyed house. The words that sprung out of the gate made Harry smile bitterly. This was their home when he was little. This was where his parents had died. Where his mother had sacrificed herself to try and succeed to save Harry. Harry took a shuddering breath.

"The house is closed to outsiders, but you can go in and anyone you bring with you." Harry grabbed his professors' hands and walked into the garden he must have played in with his parents.

Harry looked around. The signs of the violent death of his parents were around him, but so was a little pond with ducks, a swing hanging from an oak tree, and a little sandpit and a little slide going to the sandpit. Harry blinked and looked towards the house. Part of it was intact, but one part was blown away. It must be the part where Riddle had thrown his curse at Harry.

Harry stepped inside the house. His professors stayed behind. This was for Harry. The ground floor looked completely fine apart from some rubble in the entry hall. The house was very large, much larger than Privet Drive. There were several sitting rooms and in one Harry found a wand. Toys were everywhere neatly placed away waiting for a child to use them again. There was a small library where a copy on the tales of Beedle the bard was placed alongside a blanket with Harry's initials and an empty tea cup. Harry could still see the traces of tea in the cup.

The kitchen and dining room offered no more revelations apart from pictures and a collection of generations. Harry took some pictures with him as well as the wand and the book with children's stories.

Upstairs there was more damage. Most of the floor had survived decently. Two rooms however were completely destroyed. One of them must have been Harry's. The room contained a crib, a rocking chair and a chest of drawers as well as some other furniture. A small mobile hung over the crib. Harry looked around and a small stuffed dragon in the crib caught his attention. It was a Hungarian horntail and incredibly soft. Harry's didn't care what anyone would say, he was taking this with him.

As Harry walked down to the first floor he felt raw, but also more peaceful. This place he couldn't remember, but he knew he had been happy and loved here. He had several things with him and he would remember this feeling when he looked at them. Harry was very happy that his professors had brought him here. Feeling tears prick again, Harry took a deep breath. He felt at home in this damaged house. The only place that really compared was Hogwarts.

Outside the professors conjured a bag for Harry and apparated back to Hogwarts. Now Harry felt more capable to handle the mess that was his fractured friendship with Ron and Hermione. He still felt the need for some advice but it felt as if his parents had been able to give him strength. With that thought in mind Harry silently walked up to the castle with his professors. As they neared the doors, Harry slowed down.

"Thank you so much for bringing me there. I can't explain how much it meant to me." The two professors nodded and smiled at Harry.

"You're welcome Harry. Now get inside, before Poppy sees you. She'll maim us if she thinks we're being careless with your health." Sniggering and in complete agreement Harry went inside, into the only home he had known about before today.


	8. Chapter eight

Harry didn't walk back to the Gryffindor tower. He wanted to talk about his visit with someone he wasn't arguing with. He wasn't particularly close to Daphne so that left Ravenclaw tower as a destination. He assumed that there would be a password but he could hang around outside and hope that someone would pass through eventually. They'd have to eat dinner at some point!

Fortunately for Harry it appeared Rowena Ravenclaw saw things differently than the other three founders. She wanted her students to learn even as they sought entrance to the common rooms. You needed to answer a riddle to pass into the common room. As he stood before the entrance Harry didn't know if the system of passwords or riddles would work better. The brass knocker asked him:

"I have an eye but cannot see. I'm faster than any man alive and have no limbs. What am I?" Harry stared at the brass knocker. Has no limbs? So something that's not alive. A needle, no but what else has an eye, Harry thought. Perhaps…

"A hurricane?" the door opened in answer to Harry's question. He walked inside, walked inside surprised and happy that he had managed to solve it. Harry gaped as he walked in to the Ravenclaw's common room. It definitely beat both Gryffindor and Slytherin. He had never been into the Hufflepuff common room. The Ravenclaw's common room was light and airy and Harry wanted to spend hours reading through those books. He perused the titles and thought absently that he really should try and find Terry or Anthony. Harry wasn't as close to Anthony as he was to Terry, but Harry was becoming closer to the taller boy. Suddenly Harry was attacked by two blurs, one blonde and one brunette.

"Oof, hey Sheila, hey Jessica. Did you have a nice Christmas day yesterday?" The girls had told him over Christmas dinner the other day about their activities, but hopefully the question would lead to them stop crushing his ribs. It didn't.

"Yup, but I wanted to see you again after dinner." Jessica pouted at him.

"Terry said we might go swimming again this evening." Sheila bounced at the thought and thankfully let go of him with her iron grip. Harry smiled at her.

"That sounds great." It meant that he could avoid the only other two occupants in the Gryffindor tower. The two girls bounced off, happy that they had secured Harry's participation as well. As they excited the common room Harry heard laughter from the stairs.

"The great Harry Potter afraid of two eleven year olds?" Terry smirked, but then noticed Harry's expression.

"Hey Harry, are you alright?" Harry sighed.

"Could we talk?" Terry nodded and they sat down and Harry told him the entire story about the Dursley's and the fights with Hermione and Ron as well as the visit to Godric's Hollow. Terry was quiet and listened to Harry talk.

"You know Penny's probably better at this Harry, but I think you did the right thing. If you feel that way you need to express it. Besides if I would treat Anthony or Michael that way they'd never speak to me again, or at least not for months. They violated your trust as dad would say, he's a lawyer. Either way friends don't act like that and then blame it on the injured party. Damn I need to stop going to dad's trials…" Harry laughed with Terry and felt freer than he had since he opened that present containing a broom.

"Have you looked properly at the things you brought with you? If you want to you can use our dormitory, Anthony is in the library and I could read here for a while. I think you'd want to do this in private." Looking startled but feeling glad, Harry nodded. He'd never had someone else offer to give some comfort up for Harry's sake really. Not as thoughtfully as this had been.

As Harry sat down on Terry's bed (with Terry's permission) he placed the bag on the floor. He slowly took one item out at a time.

First there was the small stuffed dragon clearly loved with the plush a bit worn and the color slightly faded in some places. Then there was the book with several bookmarks, marking a few stories, he'd have to read them later. He could imagine them in his mother's voice, he knew how it sounded now. 

Then Harry took up the wand. He didn't know if it belonged to his mum or dad, but Ollivander had said that his mom's wand was made out of willow and was ten and a quarter's inch. His dad had been made of mahogany and was eleven inches. He thought this would have been his dad's wand. Harry swished it in the air. It didn't feel as good as his own, but not bad either. He pointed at Terry's pillow thinking that he could always repair it with his own wand.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" the pillow rose, but a bit sluggishly. Not a perfect fit, but decent. Harry traced the wand with his finger, thinking that his dad had done the same and that he also had cast that spell with this wand.

Left in the bag was several pictures he had taken from Godric's Hollow. Some were pictures of his parents, Harry as a baby with them, of some he guessed would be his relatives (they looked like the ones from the mirror of Erised). Then there were pictures of Hogwarts and his parents. Harry paused over one of the photos. Could it really be…?

Harry quickly placed everything back in the bag and took out the marauders map. He was glad he had taken it that morning so that he could avoid Hermione and Ron. He found the first man he was looking for in his office. He had decided to deal with the worst first.

Standing outside of the office Harry knocked on the door. He heard a quill come to a halt. Harry sent a quick prayer to whomever listened and hoped that the new less hateful relationship he had with the teacher would survive this.

"Come in." Professor Snape sounded less than happy about being disturbed but Harry took a deep breath and soldiered on. He hoped he would get out of this in one piece. He took the picture and as he walked into the office he placed it on Snape's desk.

"Is this a picture of you and my mother?" Snape paused and looked at the picture.

"Yes." The answer was barely audible.

"Did you know her?" Harry looked at the picture. They had their arms around each other and looked like friends.

"I did." Snape refused to look Harry in the eyes and instead looked at the picture on his desk.

"Were you friends?" Harry looked at his Professor's head.

"Once upon a time." The professor was practically strangling the poor quill.

"Why didn't you or anyone else mention it?" The professor laid down his quill and finally looked at Harry.

"We had a falling out. Then later she started seeing your father and I truly detested him. Your father and I didn't get along, Potter." Harry nodded. The professor obviously wasn't comfortable with this topic, but Harry wanted to try anyway.

"Could you tell me something about how she was as a person? I only know that she was good in school and what wand she used. Oh and that Aunt Petunia hated her and therefore hates me. " As the professor knew about the situation Harry could tell him this. Snape took a deep breath. He looked very pained and conflicted.

"She was brilliant. She was smart and very kind. She never lorded her knowledge or beauty over others. She didn't care about your appearances or money, she cared about the things that mattered. She was great at potions, we used to brew together. She was my first friend. She would have killed Petunia for what she did to you; she was very protective of those she loved." Harry smiled bitterly.

"What I hear when the dementors come near me is Riddle murdering her. She refuses to let him kill me." Snape exhaled and took a slow breath.

"It sounds like Lily. She wrote to me you know, when you were born. We hadn't spoken for years, but she told me that she had a son. She loved you a great deal." Harry looked at him thoughtfully.

"The reason that you saved me that quidditch game wasn't because of some debt to my dad; it was because of her, wasn't it." Snape looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"Perceptive Potter. Perhaps there is still hope for you." He went back to his papers and Harry stood up. He paused.

"If you want to you could copy that picture." Snape didn't acknowledge him but swished his wand. Harry picked up the original and exited the office. 

One down, one to go.

As the other teacher was supposed to be ill Harry didn't really know if this was a great idea, but he really wanted answers. It couldn't hurt to ask right? He raised his hand and knocked. He had double checked that he was here and that Madame Pomfrey was no where nearby. Harry heard a shuffling noise.

"Come in." Harry opened the door and saw Professor Lupin bent over supporting himself against a wing chair. His eyebrows shot up when he saw Harry.

"Harry, what are you doing here? I hope everything is well." Harry looked at the professor. He looked ready to keel over. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea.

"This might be able to wait professor…" Professor Lupin waved him off and managed to get down into the wing chair. He motioned for Harry to sit down as well.

"Nonsense. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't important." Harry hesitated but gave the photos to the professor. While there had only been one photo of Professor Snape there were many pictures of Professor Lupin. The professor took them silently and traced the frames.

"Ah. So you are here to ask me if I knew your parents, or rather if I was their friend." It was a statement not a question. Harry only nodded. Most of his bravery had been used to talk to Professor Snape.

"I did know them. I was a prefect with Lily, but I had been one of James close friends since first year." Harry closed his eyes.

"Why didn't you come to see me after they died or said anything since you came here? I know nothing about them." Professor Lupin looked at Harry with an odd look in his eyes. He slowly lifted one of the pictures.

"This picture is the last one of the four of us together. The four of us had become friends at the train going to school the first time. Lily took the picture. We knew someone close had turned to the other side." He took a deep breath.

"I think they thought it was me. You see Harry, since childhood I've been a werewolf." He paused and looked at Harry as if he expected Harry to run away or start screaming.

"Dumbledore knows. Werewolves don't have it easy in our society, so many followed You-Know-Who. I guess they thought I must have been lured with promises of a better life." He swallowed.

"I won't deny that the thought hurts, them thinking I would betray them, but I can never blame them for it. You trusted no one at the time. It became clear after THAT day that another was the one who betrayed them." He paused and looked back at the picture. Harry turned away his eyes.

"Sirius Black. Was he really my godfather?" Harry said with clenched teeth. Professor Lupin nodded.

"Yes. You need to understand Harry, something most have happened to him. I cannot understand what happened, but the man I knew from school would have never betrayed your family. My guess is after his brother was killed something changed. You see Harry, he came from a pure blood family that didn't have the best reputation. He was expected to be dark, but hated everything to do with it. I do not know what happened, but within the space of two days one of my supposedly best friends had killed or caused the deaths of my other two best friends. If you add that to the fact that I'm a werewolf I knew I would never be able to see you. I am sorry for not trying however." Harry looked at him. Not only did Professor Lupin look ill, he looked pained, an expression Professor Snape had mirrored earlier. It was in their eyes, Harry thought.

The parts about Black made Harry's blood boil. He hated that man; to betray someone who you profess to care about and wish to protect was vile. Harry felt his anger increase and looked at the remaining pictures in his hands. He could be angry later. Now he wanted to know more about them.

"Could you tell me about them?" Professor Lupin coughed and sniffled and Harry let him pretend it was due to his illness.

"Lily was so kind, she was so charismatic and she never used it to gain something or hurt others. She knew about me being a werewolf and simply shrugged. Your father found out in third year with the rest of them and instead of being angry or disgusted they tried to find ways to make it easier for me. Truly spectacular people. Of course Harry, it's important to remember that they weren't perfect. Don't try to live up to some perfect image. Your mother had the temper that made many drag up lame jokes about red heads and tempers. She also was quite stubborn and sometimes had trouble forgiving someone if they had behaved very badly. I'm not talking about forgetting to give a pencil back, but much larger things." He smiled softly.

"Your father was more than a bit spoilt, being an only child and all. He loved Lily form the start, but she detested him. He used to try and get her attention by hexing others and other stupid things. He deflated his ego later on and she gave him a chance. He was immature sometimes and a jokester. Most of the times it was funny, like a certain set of twins, but sometimes we crossed a line." Professor Lupin looked at the pictures again.

"They were wonderful, loving people Harry. But don't try and live up to some perfect ideal. They were people with flaws like everybody else. Good people who tried to make the world a better place without You-Know-Who, but still human. They'd stand up for others and didn't care about prejudices. They'd be the ones to listen to someone who was sad and try to cheer them up, thought in different ways. They both had a wonderful capacity to love. Although James was a bit prejudiced to Slytherins and any boy that Lily liked. He swore during first year that he would marry her." Professor Lupin smiled in remembrance. He lifted one photo. It was a picture of three boys hugging a pair, Harry's mum and dad, in the middle who was smiling at each other.

"This was taken on the day they got engaged. It was one the few bright days that year. It was such dark times with death and destruction everywhere around us. To be able to celebrate love was something cherished. You caused the biggest celebration though." Harry looked up. Professor Lupin was smiling crookedly.

"Lily was insisting it was too early, James was pulling out his hair while trying to calm down Lily who was trying to calm down him. I was trying not to laugh as the poor mediwitch tried to throw …. Some others out. You were so loved Harry, from the moment they knew about you." Harry nodded and stood up. He looked at the frail man.

"Do you need help back up professor?" Professor Lupin smiled and shook his head. He handed the photographs back to Harry.

"No I'll be fine, Harry. Here take these back." Harry placed all the photographs back in the bag and hesitated.

"Hagrid gave me pictures of mum and dad during the end of first year. Did you send pictures?" Lupin nodded.

"I was happy to share. I have so many fond memories of your parents Harry. You should have been given more. I'll be happy to share them sometimes." Harry smiled hugely at the pale professor and started to walk to the door.

"Harry. When we're not talking as student and professor if you want to, you can call me what you called me when you were little, even if I'm sure the pronunciation's better now." Harry smiled at the teasing.

"Sure professor. What was it?" Hopefully nothing bad.

"Uncle Remus." Harry felt warmth spread over him, someone wanted to claim him as family. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'd like that, Uncle Remus." The answering smile he got was huge.

"So would I Harry. So would I."


	9. Chapter nine

The next day Harry was once again the first one up in the Gryffindor tower. This time however Ron didn't wake up before Harry left. Harry had been surprised that he had slept so well last night. He would have thought that he would be thinking about everything that had happened the day before.

As he walked around in the castle mindlessly, Harry thought about the events from yesterday. He still hadn't really absorbed everything yet, although his parents felt much more real now. They were more tangible instead of only knowing that they were great. Professor Lupin, or uncle Remus, had said the thing Harry thought the most about. That they were human and had faults. It did make Harry feel better because he'd always felt like such a failure for not being as great as his parents. He doubted that would completely go away but at least someone close to his parents believed that they'd be proud of Harry.

Another thing that had been settled for Harry was the fact that he would not approach Hermione and Ron. The talk with Terry had made Harry more resolute on this. If Harry approached Ron or Hermione, it would most likely end up in another fight or in Harry somehow apologizing. While it'd be awkward until then Harry was thankful that he now had other friends to rely on. He did care deeply about Ron and Hermione, but he felt as if they were growing in different directions. He wanted to be able to be his own person, even if that meant that it might create some distance between him and his two best friends. If they were truly his friends could they really wish for him to be someone he wasn't?

Harry wasn't sure about this best friends concept anyway. He had only had two friends his own age until a few months ago. So of course he was close to them, but he wasn't sure if he wasn't as close to Luna, Susan or Terry. He wasn't close in the same way to Penny and Cedric since both had sort of become something of what Harry imagined older siblings to be.

Harry heard and felt his stomach growl and looked at his clock. It was about half past seven and during the holidays breakfast didn't begin until eight. Harry started to head to the kitchens. Besides breakfast he could also learn more about Mimsy, she seemed very nice.

In the kitchen things seemed almost calm to Harry. There were very few elves around instead of the frenzy he'd seen the first time. An organized frenzy mind you, Harry doubted the house elves would appreciate being called disorganized. As Harry came in Mimsy came up and herded him towards a chair. Other followed and Mimsy looked sternly at Harry.

"You need to eat! You missed lunch yesterday, if you do it again I'll tell Madam Pomfrey." Harry hurried to eat while Mimsy looked at him with the same stern look Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall sometimes used.

When Harry was done Mimsy was still there making sure that Harry would be fine. Harry smiled at her.

"You know I don't know all that much about house elves. Would it be rude of me to ask you about it?" Mimsy smiled and shook her head, her ears flapping with her shakes.

"It wouldn't be rude. What do you want to know?" Harry thought about it.

"Have house elves always enjoyed domestic work and been bound to humans?" Harry hoped he wouldn't say something bad, he remembered Dobby's reactions.

"We've always bound our magic to other magic users. We survive that way. We like work. Some like swimming, hunting or running but we like to look after things and beings." Harry nodded. He didn't really understand, but it would be demeaning to question her beliefs. He wouldn't treat her patronizingly like the missionaries had done to people they considered heathens. You didn't need to agree or understand everything, Harry thought.

"But now young master we need to work. We're cleaning the whole castle when the students are away." She shooed Harry off. It was just as well because as soon as Harry walked outside, having decided to take a walk, Hedwig flew to him and hooted demandingly. Harry obliged by giving her an arm to perch on and taking her letters. He pocketed them and gave her an owl treat he had in his pocket, while he stroked her feather with his other hand.

"I missed you Hedwig. Did you have a good flight?" Hedwig cooed and head butted Harry who laughed and stretched his arm out for her to be able to fly off to the skies again.

The letters were from Penny and Cedric. They told Harry that they hoped that the situation with his friends would get better and that it was in no way his fault. It reminded Harry of his conversation with Terry, but phrased differently. He smiled as he read the letters while he walked around the lake. He did some giant squid baseball again as the giant squid also seemed to have a water fight with itself.

Harry was just ending his game with the giant squid when professor McGonagall appeared a few meters behind him and called his name.

"Harry there you are. I've been looking for you." Harry looked up and stepped down from the cliffs so that professor McGonagall wouldn't need to climb them.

"Harry, I wanted to talk to you about Miss Granger. I'm not just your professor right now and you seemed troubled by her actions these past days." Harry mulled over her words. He'd never really trusted adults. Professor McGonagall had in the past dismissed him, such as during first year and the Philosopher's stone. However she seemed to want to genuinely help.

"I think she's doing too many things. She's always stressed, too stressed. I can't believe the amount of homework she has. Then there are some other matters, but I hope we can resolve that between her and me." Professor McGonagall looked at Harry with her lips slightly pursed, seemingly in thought.

"Has she acted differently to those around her since she became so stressed?" She asked Harry.

"Yes a bit. She's always been a bit defensive and usually corrects others, but recently it's been more… intense." Harry didn't want to blabber to a teacher about her behavior but he was worried about the stress. That didn't mean that he would tell Hermione's favorite professor that Hermione often made others feel like they were stupid. He didn't think she did it on purpose, but it needed to change.

Professor McGonagall seemed lost in thought as she stared over the lake. Harry let her have her time, after all, she had given him the same favor yesterday. He turned as he heard her sigh. She turned and looked at him and gave a very small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Sometimes Harry adults make very bad decisions and forget how the young and driven often forget to take care of themselves. In case there will be any unpleasantness I'll warn you that I will talk to Miss Granger about her stress and I might place her under Madam Pomfrey's care." She smiled sadly at Harry and began to walk back to the school. Harry stared out over the lake.

Would this help Hermione or make her even angrier, Harry wondered. He knew that she often listened to adults, but she could disregard their opinions when they didn't coincide with her own.

Instead of thinking about things he couldn't change Harry went to the library to finish the last of his holiday assignments. In the library he was nearly done when two bouncing first years approached him.

"Hi Harry. Did you have fun last night, I did and Anthony said that we could go and swim tomorrow as well but not today because apparently he and Terry needed rest. Isn't swimming so much fun? And did you see Jessica's flip in to the pool yesterday?" Sheila was brimming with energy, Jessica just behind her.

Harry was happy that it was the holidays and that they were the only students in the library or Madam Pince would have already hurled them out.

"So you had a good time yesterday?" Harry was pretty sure they had a good time; he was still trying to get the water out of his eardrums. Jessica hopped up on the table.

"Yup, but you left a bit early. Were you tired?" Harry smiled at her.

"Yeah I had a long day." Harry frowned a little remembering the fights and revelations of the past days.

"You look sad." Jessica pronounced. She flung her arms around Harry while she still remained perched on the table. Harry felt another pair of arms slip around him as Sheila joined the hug.

"My mom's hugs always make me feel better." She said. Harry hugged them back, a bit awkwardly in the beginning before he relaxed. He did start to feel warmer from the hugging.

"Thanks, you two always make me feel better." He received squeals and thanks for that and soon the two first years sped away to find something mischievous to do. Harry smiled at them and went back to his essay to wrap it up. He felt warmth continue to spread from the hugs and shook his head. Those two really did have hugs that made you feel much better.

Later that evening as Harry had revised all of the Christmas homework he started to head back to Gryffindor tower. He was stopped by Daphne Greengrass.

"Potter!" Harry turns on the stairs. He's halfway up as Daphne came rushing out of the Great Hall. He moved down the stairs again and they met half way.

"Is there something wrong?" Harry didn't know her all that well, they shared some lessons and had both been to the two swimming parties during the holidays.

"What did Sheila mean about the swimwear thing? She said that her mum who's muggleborn wears different swimwear and that our looks like the Victoria era or something." Harry snorted a little.

"The Victorian era. I can see what she means. Well you know what, I'll see if I can find you the information, but generally it's more practical and less dressed up. It's more revealing both for males and females. It's to make it easier to stay afloat." Daphne looked thoughtful.

"I'll ask her tomorrow." She turned around and then stopped.

"You do know that you're blushing Potter?" Harry spluttered and Daphne laughed a little as she walked away. Harry liked her laughter. It was never malicious as Malfoy's was.

Harry checked on the map as he walked up the stairs. Hermione was in the hospital wing with professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. Harry hoped that she'd be alright. Daphne and Professor Snape were in the dungeons. The rest of the professors were in their offices or adjoining rooms. The ghosts were scattered around the castle with Peeves far away from Harry thankfully. Terry and the rest of the Ravenclaws were in their common room. Perhaps he should join them, Harry thought.

As he looked over to the Gryffindor tower expecting to see only Ron, he saw two dots on the map. Ron Weasley was shown to be in the dormitory but right next to him was another dot, one that was impossible. Peter Pettigrew was one of Harry's parent's friends. He had been killed by Sirius Black. So why was Peter Pettigrew in Harry's dormitory with Ron? Normally Harry would have rushed in, but something was fishy. Professor Lupin's office was close by and he did know Peter Pettigrew. Harry ran towards his office.

He knocked on the door as he stared at the map. Neither of the dots had moved. He looked up and away from the map when the door was opened. Professor Lupin or Uncle Remus smiled. He looked better then yesterday thankfully, but still a bit tired.

"Hello Harry… where have you gotten that map Harry?" Harry didn't have time to explain he just pointed to the dot. Professor Lupin gaped and then gasped a "Merlin!". He rushed off and sent something silvery towards the other end of the corridor. Harry sprinted after him. He caught up with him as the portrait of Sir Cadogan the menace opened up. Harry ran after him much to the protests of the portrait. They both yanked open the door to the dormitory as Ron jerked awake. A rat, Scabbers, leaped over the floor. A spell shot out but missed. The second time Professor Lupin's spell hit its target.

The rat Scabbers quickly started to grow as Harry heard someone else entering the tower and slamming the portrait open. Rushed steps were heard and just as the rat stopped changing Harry heard Professor McGonagall gasp.

"By Morgana! This cannot be possible." Both Professors looked as they had seen a ghost. Professor Lupin looked pale as a ghost as well and Harry briefly wondered how much Madam Pomfrey would yell at the professor for running while he was still unwell. Professor Lupin was first to speak to the dirty man.

"Hello Peter. I'm very interested to hear your tale."


	10. Chapter ten

(27th December 1993)

Harry sat and stared at the bound man in confusion. This man was supposed to be dead. Ron was spluttering on the bed, Lupin was down in the common room and was contacting Susan's aunt Madam Bones, the head of the DMLE. Professor McGonagall's wand pointed directly at the bound man as her expression was frozen in place. Harry had an insane urge to ask her if she would eat the man if he turned back into a rat, with her being a cat animagus and all, but decided that it might not be a good idea.

Everything seemed to move too fast as well as in slow motion. Ron was still spluttering on the bed, Harry stood frozen by the door. Professor McGonagall hadn't moved a finger. The only one moving in the dormitory was the rat turned man. How was he alive Harry wondered? And why had he spent this time as a rat?

The only sound came from the rat man's whimpering. Soon, however, it was joined by hurried steps coming up the stairs. Professor Lupin came in with a dignified but shocked looking woman with another much younger woman and two men who were about Professor Lupin's age.

The woman, who Harry assumed was Madam Bones, had blonde hair with streaks of grey. She wore spectacles and her air reminded Harry of a combination of professors Sprout and McGonagall. She looked stern, but Harry was quite sure she also smiled a lot; she had laughter lines in her face.

The younger woman's hair had changed color as she took in the rat man. When she came in her hair had been pink, but it had shifted to black as she saw the man. She had a heart shaped face and while she was completely focused on the rat man and Madam Bones, Harry did see her sneak a glance at professor Lupin that took longer than her looks at the other occupants of the dormitory.

The first man was a tall black man with amazing robes. He had the same air about him as Madam Bones and he also took in the rest of the room's occupants. The final man was shorter with black hair and brown eyes that seemed to be taking some form of dictation of the events. Harry remembered that Susan had mentioned that the ministry took notes through a spell that made their words appear on a parchment. You apparently received special training to be the person performing the spell and taking documentation.

Soon Madam Bones took command.

"Professor McGonagall, I'll need you to stay in the room initially. We have another Auror on the way who was involved in the original case. He will help with the documentation and interview. He is bringing another Documentor." She paused and looked over the students.

"When he arrives we will escort the students and Professor Lupin to the common room. Professor Lupin due to your prior close connection you will need to be watched for a little while." The professor nodded at Madam Bones who looked relieved. They could hear the banging of other persons arriving.

"Well then. Professor Lupin, and Misters Potter and Weasley will need to be interviewed. Professor McGonagall and Mrs Weasley will need to be attending respectively. Auror trainee Tonks you will attend with Auror Shacklebolt and Documenter Grey." The named parties walked down and the Aurors raised privacy barriers between Harry, Ron and Professor Lupin.

They interviewed Professor Lupin first and then interviewed Ron as Mrs Weasley arrived. After they had been interviewed they had been allowed to walk out of the tower. Harry had been asked to stay since Professor McGonagall needed to attend, Professor McGonagall's interview had been done by Madam Bones. Apparently one of the child protection workers needed to attend as well. Harry recognized the worker who came out of the fire. He thought her name was McAllister. She wasn't as tall as Harry remembered, but he did remember her red hair and blue eyes correctly.

Harry's interviewers consisted of Auror Shacklebolt, Auror trainee Tonks and Documentor Grey. Professor McGonagall and Agent, as he learned her professional title was, McAllister. Kingsley led the interview.

"On the record and present is Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, Auror trainee Nymphadora," Tonks give him a nasty look," Tonks and documentor Joshua Grey. The witness is Harry potter with his temporary guardian Hogwarts professor McGonagall and Child protection service agent Isobel McAllister." He took a pause as Grey nodded at him in acknowledgment.

"Now Mr Potter please tell us in your own words what happened this evening. We might ask questions of clarification during this retelling of events, but feel free to begin wherever you want or take a break." Harry nodded.

"Well it really began with this map…" Harry talked for what felt like hours. He told them about the map, but not who gave it to him and how it was always correct.

"May we see it? Unless it's somehow a prohibited item you will have it back." Harry handed the map to Shacklebolt who nodded and whistled a bit.

"Very impressive charm work. You may keep it but we need it documented for evidentiary purposes." Grey examined the map and did some charm that made it glow.

Harry continued to tell them about how he approached Professor Lupin and how he sent some silvery thing in the general direction of the hospital wing. What they found and did in the tower, and when they called for assistance. The interview was finished and Harry was receiving instructions on what he might be needed to do at an eventual trial when the portrait banged open for another time that night.

Headmaster Dumbledore stormed in through the portrait with a thunderous expression on this face. Professor McGonagall and Madam Bones who had come down from the dormitory due to the noise walked towards him. Professor Dumbledore gestured wildly and Harry bent down to tie his shoelaces and listened in.

"Why wasn't I told about this? These proceedings are completely unnecessary I could have handled this myself. Minerva why in Merlin's name didn't you contact me?!" Professor McGonagall looked at him coolly.

"You were away and surely when a supposedly dead man shows up as an illegal animagus in a school dormitory as a pet the DMLE should be called in." Professor Dumbledore spluttered as Madam Bones and Professor McGonagall pushed him out of the tower. Harry could hear the raised voices as the argument continued out of sight.

(28th December 1993)

As it was past midnight, Harry was allowed to go up to his room again and somehow fell asleep at once. The next day sunshine woke him up as he lay fully clothed on the top of the duvet. Harry felt groggy and slowly blinked. The past few days had really been way too much. He rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He wanted to find Professor McGonagall and find out about what was really happening.

As he walked through the corridors he tried to not think. It wasn't particularly easy. Thoughts about the man who was supposed to have killed the rat man, if he hadn't killed the rat what about the rest of it? Had he really betrayed Harry's family? Thoughts about what would happen to Harry; he knew that it hadn't been known that Professor McGonagall was his temporary guardian. Would Dumbledore force him back to the Dursleys'? The mess with Hermione and Ron only added to this.

What Harry really wanted to do was to go up to the Ravenclaw tower and curl up in a chair and talk and play games with Sheila, Jessica, Terry and Anthony. But he couldn't do that right now. He needed to find out what was going to happen with all of this. He didn't trust that the adults would magically fix things so that everything would be alright.

Finally outside Professor McGonagall's office Harry listened to see if anyone else was in there. When he didn't hear anything he knocked. He held his breath and tried to remember to be mature and calm, as he needed to be to make adults even think about listening to a teenager. Yelling never got you anywhere, Harry had seen. Unless your parents were called Vernon and Petunia, that is.

The door was opened and Professor McGonagall looked up from behind her desk, she smiled tiredly when he walked in and waved her wand as a glimmering band swirled out and floated around the windows and doors. Harry raised his eyebrows in question.

"It's to negate any listening spells. Please sit down Harry. I'm glad you came to see me. I don't know much about what Madam Bones found yesterday but this afternoon there will be an emergency hearing. It's a beginning of a trial, but since the defense might need time it will be concluded many weeks later if a full trial is initiated. You will need to testify. As you're underage you will not need to be questioned fully. You can contribute your memories of the incident, just as the memories you gave to us to watch, do you remember?" Harry nodded. Professor McGonagall spoke clearly but Harry noticed that she spoke much quicker than normal and that she kept looking at the clock. He wondered why but tried to focus on the professor's words.

"Also Dumbledore is moving to have you put back with the Dursleys', which neither I nor the child protection service workers will hear of. I have a proposal to present to you, which I did intend for you to be given time to think about but when things are this way…" she smiled a bit at Harry. He thought it more closely resembled a grimace, but he still knew she tried to reassure him. At least Harry thought, she tries. She didn't give up or just thought that someone else knew what was best for Harry, she let him decide.

Harry slowly swallowed as he tried to get rid of the closed in feeling in his throat. He didn't really know what to say but nodded to Professor McGonagall to show that he listened.

"In your parent's will it's clearly stated that Sirius Black is your legal guardian if anything happens to your parents. It's been recently discovered that in the mess that was the Ministry after the war he was never given a trial. It's disgusting and horrible, but it does mean that technically he's your guardian. Due to the circumstances he could be seen as incapacitated, so his closest relatives could take care of you. Due to family politics one of the two possibilities are considered less close as the other cousin had formed a closer relationship to Sirius Black due to the cousin being thrown out of the family for marrying a muggleborn wizard. You met her daughter yesterday." Harry stared at her in confusion.

"Auror trainee Tonks is the daughter of Ted Tonks and Andromeda Tonks, nee Black. She had been proven to be completely separated from the rest of their family and very much against the death eaters. She is a safe and legal choice. We could make her your guardian with a scribble on a piece of parchment. However you need to make this decision Harry. I know that you've been let down by so many people, that I will not take this decision without you. However this is the best solution I can find that makes you safe." Harry felt dazed. To just pick someone you've never met as your guardian felt really weird. He looked at the professor.

"Could I meet them?" the professor looked startled and rose.

"Of course, I forgot." She looked at Harry critically.

"Mimsy." The house elf appeared next to Harry who jumped a little. He could swear that Mimsy smirked a little.

"Professor called Mimsy?"

"Yes Mimsy. Could you be so kind as to find a set of Mr Potter's formal school robes and bring them here?" the elf disappeared.

"How come she could hear you with all the charms?" the professor laughed a little.

"I know of no spell that the house elves cannot break through, if they feel it's necessary for their duties. Now we will go to the Tonks' and then directly to the Ministry. Professor Dumbledore isn't happy with recent developments as he wasn't consulted about them." Harry nodded and thanked Mimsy as he appeared with his robed. A few privacy charms later he had changed his clothes and needed to floo travel. Harry could vividly remember his misfortune with floo powder little more than a year ago. He stepped forward and shouted "Tonks' cottage!" hoping that he would get to the right place and that these potential guardians would be nice. He desperately didn't want to go back to the Dursleys'.


	11. Chapter eleven

The Tonks' house was warm and smelled of baking and pine. It was decorated in warm colors. Harry had still not managed to learn how to floo properly and unfortunately he face planted right into the Tonks' living room. Blushing Harry picked himself up and righted the chair he'd pushed aside in his descent. The elder woman in the family who must be Auror Tonks' mother, who definitely didn't look elderly and was really beautiful, smiled at him and with a wave of her wand the dust and ash disappeared from his clothes and the floor.

"Don't worry, Nymphadora floo's about clumsily as well." Harry smiled bashfully as Auror Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes at her mother when she said Nymphadora. If he remembered correctly she wasn't fond of the name and had grunted when Auror Shacklebolt had grinned and called her that yesterday.

"Thank you for inviting me, um…" Harry wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. Thank you for perhaps giving me a home, I hope you're not maniacs? Mrs Tonks smiled at him and invited the professor and Harry to sit down. Apparently she was serving tea and sandwiches. Mr and Mrs Tonks sat on a sofa while Harry, Professor McGonagall and Auror Tonks sat in armchairs.

Harry looked around and concluded that his first impression had been correct. The fireplace had a small wood burning fire in it and above the fireplace there hung a large mirror. In front of it there was the sitting area where they were seated. There were also dark wood bookcases as well as massive Christmas three. An ornate cabinet stood beside the fireplace. Outside, through the windows, you could see a large garden with trees covered in snow. To one of the sides you could see into another room that Harry guessed was a drawing room. The rooms were decorated in rich colors., reds, greens, blues and purple that made Harry feel at ease. The house was certainly clean, but it wasn't the near clinical cleanliness of the Dursley's that made Harry so uneasy.

Harry pushed the last thought away. He didn't want to think about them right now. He finally had a chance to truly get away from then. They always managed to somehow worm their way into his mind. Sometimes he could swear they were almost with him like the devil in some cartoon sitting on his shoulder telling him what to do.

Now however he wanted to focus on this family. He knew that they were his chance for stability. He didn't know them and honestly most adults in his life he didn't trust. But Auror Tonks had made him feel at ease together with Auror Shacklebolt yesterday. He didn't assume that she was a good person simply because she was an Auror but it did mean that she at least wanted to help people, Harry thought.

As he nibbled on the sandwich he was given he met the eyes of Auror Tonks. She smiled at him.

"How do you change your hair like that, Auror Tonks?" she grinned at him and suddenly she turned the same color as her hair. Harry gaped at her.

"I'm a metamorphmagus. You won't cover that in transfiguration until next year. Basically I can change appearance at will." He looked at her as she changed back but her hair mimicked the plaid on Professor McGonagall's clothes. Harry snorted.

"Oh and you can call me Dora. I hate my first name, but you can't go around calling me Tonks, in present company at least." Harry smiled at her and agreed, if she called him Harry.

In a way Dora reminded him a bit of the way he spoke with Penny and Cedric, so it didn't feel like he was speaking to an adult. It felt nice. Professor McGonagall and Mrs Tonks sat talking on the armchairs as Dora dragged Harry to the windows.

"There's the pond, I usually fall into it at least once during the summers. We usually have a swing from that tree, I know they're for small children, but I love them. And there is the herb garden; mom's really good at herbology and potions. And there…" she was interrupted by her father.

"Is the place where I caught you snogging young Charlie Weasley when you were fifteen." Harry snorted as Dora's hair turned red and then a vivid pink much darker than usually. He thought it looked like a blush.

"It was once after the summer fair!" Muttering about annoying parents Dora was called away by her mother. Mr Tonks, Harry believed he had been told his first name was Ted, but he wasn't sure, turned to Harry and smiled.

"Sorry but it's the parents prerogative to embarrass our children a bit. How did it go for you to transition between the muggle and magical worlds?" Mr Tonks looked a bit concerned and Harry tried to find the right words. He didn't really want to talk about it but this family had offered him a place after all.

"Umm well Hagrid introduced me and he was great but some things still confuse me a bit." Mr Tonks smiled at him.

"Hagrid is a great friend and a very good person. However since he has a limited knowledge about the muggle world you understand that there might be some … gaps." They continued to talk quietly between the different family members for a couple of hours. It was nice but a bit stilted. It felt like everyone was trying really hard. Not to deceive Harry or anything, but everybody was in a sort of weird politeness. It was thankfully broken by Dora, who was rolling her eyes as her mother called her by her full first name and promptly fell over a basket by her mother's chair.

Everybody laughed as Dora took a bow after managing to stand again.

"Alright Harry here's the run of the family. I'm clumsy and whimsy when I'm not at work. Dad's the biggest softie you'd be able to find, but tries to pretend that he's a hard macho man half the time." Some protests were heard, but Dora carried on sending her dad a wink.

"Mom is quite nice and a good potioneer, but she has her small bouts if insanity, like naming me Nymphadora, honestly." Her mother sighed.

"It's a good family name one of my great aunts was called Nymphadora and she was the kindest woman on earth." Dora nodded absently with the air of someone who knows this already. Professor McGonagall's tea cup and saucer was shaking a bit so she set it down, her lips twitching.

"So anything else you want to know? No, then will you have us. We're housetrained and everything." Then she winked at him and Harry started laughing as Mrs Tonks uttered a "Nymphadora, honestly" as she fought against her own smile.

In the end Harry wasn't too sure about what to do. Really this decision didn't feel like something you could take in such short time, but at the same time, he knew he had no time left. So he had to make his decision here and now.

He like the Tonks', they seemed nice and cared for each other. Dora was brilliant and Mrs Tonks didn't seem strict, he'd seen her smile a lot. Mr Tonks seemed to be quite laid back and nobody had tried to press him about details or told him what to do. They had talked to him like his opinion mattered. In reality Professor McGonagall and the Tonks' could make the decision without him if they wished to. He took a deep breath and took a leap of faith, figuratively.

"I'd like to stay with you if that's alright. I mean…" Professor McGonagall took his hand as he faltered.

"I'd like to be a part of your family." Harry felt tears threaten and felt silly. They disappeared soon however as Dora squealed and threw herself at him.

"I always wanted a little brother!" Harry laughed and hugged her back.

Later he and Professor McGonagall had walked away a bit to have a small talk before they went to the trial. She looked at him and looked troubled.

"I need you to understand Harry that while things have been handled badly in regards to you, not all the people involved did so to harm you. But sometimes good intentions aren't enough." Harry nodded, remembering the phrase 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'.

"I don't expect you to be able to forgive but I need you to understand a bit more for you to be fully informed about some of the circumstances that led to all of this." Harry nodded at her. He didn't really trust his voice at the moment. Professor McGonagall stroked his hair and let out a sigh.

"The war changed us all. We stopped trusting each other and only told things we absolutely needed. Dumbledore was the leader of an organization that fought against You-Know-Who. He had so many burdens Harry, there were so many he couldn't save. Betrayers popped out everywhere and he had to keep all of the secrets he could to himself. He also stopped telling people his reasoning, because the more they knew, the more in danger they were." Harry looked at her and realized that she was explaining Professor Dumbledore's behavior.

"After the war there were some people that would be able to claim you because of blood relation to you or to Sirius Black. Not all of them would have been a good idea, so he took the one choice he knew wouldn't be contested and meant that you didn't risk to be placed with death eaters. Still, it was a horrible choice, and as you entered Hogwarts and asked to stay away from the Dursleys, I do believe he could have done more and at least given you a proper medical examination. But I do not believe he did it out of malice nor do I believe he understood exactly what treatment you've suffered. He wishes to believe the best of people, some times too much." Harry looked over the frozen fields and considered her words.

"Perhaps you're right professor McGonagall, but I still don't trust him." He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not asking you to trust him only to consider and understand all of the facts. He made a terrible mistake Harry and yes he still wishes to be in control over everything and it sometimes irks me, but he doesn't wish you to be miserable. He has lost his clear sight in this matter I believe, which is why I interfered." She hesitated and Harry turned around to look at her instead of the snow that had started falling to the already white ground. The professor looked as if she was going to cry.

"We knew they were high on his list and took protective measures and still… I think it hit him hard, it sure hit me hard. This is probably why he is so invested to keep you safe, but he is not all knowing. This affair has taught me that." They both stood still and looked at the snow that fell to the ground.

"What will happen at the trial?" Professor McGonagall sighed.

"Well Madam Bones is fair and thorough so it should be a good trial. She will ask him questions under oath or a serum and the answers will decide the outcome." Harry nodded. Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows slightly.

"Harry the Ministry isn't always terribly well functioning. Particularly not after the war, which is why Professor Dumbledore acted a bit odd perhaps yesterday. He wouldn't have hidden this, but I think he no longer trusts the Ministry to handle things on its own. A lot of things weren't handled properly during and after the war. Madam Bones managed to calm him." Harry nodded and took her arm when she offered it. He really detested apparating.

He had managed to not be sick after apparating but still felt a little green as he sat in the observatory section of the courtroom. Every person in the stands were wearing plum colored robes and they filled row after row. Witches and wizards, most over thirty at least, but many over a hundred - Harry would guess. Some were bald, others covered in hair. In the middle of the round room there was a platform where there was a podium at which a dignified elder witch stood. In the middle there was also a small platform with a chair with chains. The witch in the middle banged the gavel to quiet the murmurings from the stands and observatory.

"Order! This session has started. Now the prosecution of this hearing is Madam Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and assisted by Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and Gawain Robards, Auror Trainee Nymphadora Tonks and Documentors Joshua Grey and Jonathan Babbling. Auror trainee Tonks shall not be participating further in the investigation due to a conflict of interests. Overseeing the events is elder wizengamot member Griselda Marchbanks. Judging the hearing is the Wizengamot. Please bring in the defendant." There were gasps in the stands and the observatory from some members as some seemed to recognize this man. As he sat in the chair chains wrapped around him.

"Please state your name for the record." Harry could almost feel the tension and anticipation in the air.

"Peter Pettigrew." The man's eyes flickered around the room and never seemed to stop moving.

"You will be administered Verisaterum for your hearing, do you oppose this action?" the man started shaking.

"I'm not so fond of potions so I wouldn't like to…" he drifted off and his eyes continued to flicker around.

"Please note that the defendant is unsure about the use of Verisaterum. However as the defendant has been found to be an assumed legally dead man and an illegal animagus witnessed by two Hogwarts professors and two underage students, documented by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a dose will be given. Please wait while the authenticity and regularity of the potion is established." The man who apparently was taking notes and a group of men dressed in green and black talked while a small vial was examined. Some spell was cast and the result noted.

"The potions is authenticated and accepted. Please administer it to the defendant." Despite the struggle the man, rat man or Peter Pettigrew took the potion and swallowed. The man instantly relaxed and his eyes became unfocused. He stopped twitching and his eyes stopped their dance.

Madam Marchbanks asked him questions about age and where he was born, when he started school and so on. Harry wished Terry was here as Harry already was becoming confused by it all. Finally the more interesting questions started.

"When did you become an animagus?" Peter didn't move and stated everything in the same toneless voice.

"1975." Only the scribbling could be heard from the notary.

"Have you ever registered or tried to register as an animagus?"

"No." Madam Marchbanks nodded.

"Why have you not made yourself known to be alive?"

"I was afraid." The room seemed to expect this and yet everyone looked a bit intrigued around Harry.

"Of what?"

"Of being killed." Harry felt frustrated he wanted to know, why had this man a supposed friend of his family hidden and lived in the same dormitory as Harry and never made himself known.

"By whom?"

"Sirius Black and his friends." Harry didn't know what this meant. Sirius Black's friends, if he meant Death Eaters why didn't he say so. So what did that really mean?

"Why?"

"Because I betrayed James and Lily Potter's hiding place to the Dark Lord." Pandemonium broke out.

Everybody was shouting. Several bangs had to be heard as Madam Marchbanks banged her gavel.

"Order! Now please be quiet. Mr Pettigrew could you please elaborate how you betrayed James and Lily Potter?" Everybody was positively leaning forward now. The story of that night was legendary and Harry assumed that they all thought they had known all the facts, something Harry had never thought about since until recently no one wanted to tell him anything it seemed.

"I was the secret keeper of their Fidelius charm. We pretended that it was Sirius Black but it was me." A stern glance from Madam Marchbanks made most people keep quiet.

"I had joined the Death Eaters so as I was the secret keeper I could tell him their hiding place." Murmurings broke out and even Madam Marchbanks seemed a little shaken.

"You were a Death Eater?" her voice however was as firm as before as she continued to question Pettigrew.

"Yes." Madam Marchbank's eyes narrowed.

"What was the protocol to become a Death Eater?" a lot of heads snapped up and Harry thought a lot of them didn't look too happy about the question.

"You needed to murder someone or provide good information that would lead to someone's demise." Several people started to turn different colors. from white, to ashen and red.

"What was your act to become a death eater?"

"I killed a muggle woman." Murmuring broke out again before they quieted from yet another glare from Madam Marchbanks.

"What happened after You-Know-Who had attacked the Potters?"

"He disappeared and I fled as a rat when I saw Sirius Black arrive. He didn't see me for he ran into the house screaming for the Potters." Several more people turned ashen as Harry felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.

"What happened after you fled?"

"I ran, but Sirius Black tracked me down. He confronted me but I screamed about it being his fault and cast a composed explosion and blasting charm line. I cut off my own finger and became a rat just before the Aurors arrived." Total silence reigned in the courtroom. Everybody was stunned. This was beyond anything Harry had thought.

The man who was supposed to have betrayed his family wasn't guilty and this … thing was guilty instead? Harry head hurt as he remembered his mother's final words. Then he remembered what Professor Lupin or Uncle Remus or whatever had said about the knowledge that someone close to the Potters was a traitor. Now they knew who it had been but far too late. Harry didn't realize that he was hyperventilating until he felt Professor McGonagall laid a hand on his arm. He looked into her eyes and saw sympathy and grief.

Harry turned away and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe it but he had heard it himself. Now he knew what had happened but it didn't give him any comfort only new grief as he realized that his godfather was innocent and that he could have grown up with people who loved him instead of the Dursleys. It was like a twisted horrible nightmare version of the dream he used to have of an unknown relative coming to save him from the Dursleys.

"Peter Pettigrew, you will be the subject of a trial to further examine your crimes and actions. Time will be given for a defense to be arranged for you as well as for the prosecution to gather more evidence. This hearing will be used to that effect. Are there those in agreement in the Wizengamot?" everybody rose and said "aye", even if some seemed to do it in a daze and others reluctantly.

"Also as the head of this session I order that the case against Sirius Black shall be revisited and that the order of his death shall be rescinded. Those in agreement please rise and say aye." Again the stands rose and the "aye's" were heard.

Professor McGonagall took Harry's arm and steered him out of the courtroom as the people in the observatory and in the stand started to trickle out. The man who betrayed Harry's parents had already been escorted out. Harry sluggishly followed the professor as he felt like someone had ripped out his ability to function on his own. Professor McGonagall didn't take him to the castle at once, but instead they apparated to Diagon Alley.

It was marvelous, decorated for Christmas with candles burning everywhere, the flames never igniting anything else but the candles, evergreens and cranberries, holly and ice sculptures decorated the allay. It was beautiful. Professor McGonagall took Harry to Florean Forteucues ice cram shop and pushed him into a chair. Soon Harry's favorite ice cream from the summer he spent in the Alley was placed before him as professor McGonagall sat down with an ice cream of her own.

"You've received several shocks the past days Harry. You deserve a treat." Harry picked up the spoon and started eating. He smiled as he felt the taste of warm fudge mixed with the treat. Apparently this was a winter variation. The numbness within him seemed to thaw as the treat slipped down.

"Harry I won't urge you to talk to me about everything you must be feeling and thinking right now. However should you wish to I'm here and so is Professor Lupin and the Tonks' should you need us." Harry looked at her and nodded. He didn't really know what he felt yet. It was like everything had turned upside down and he didn't know the correct direction his feet should be. He took another spoon of the confection.

"I will professor." Harry wondered a bit about everything as they ate their ice creams. He felt so many things right now, but perhaps in a part of him that was shining more and more brightly, there was hope.


	12. Chapter twelve

As they returned to the castle, wading through the falling snow, Harry's thoughts had regained the ability to remain on one subject for more than two seconds. He was still very confused about everything that had happened and would happen over the coming weeks. A part of him wished that he could stay with the Tonks' and hide from the world for a couple of days, but he had previously decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays and Professor McGonagall had already helped him enough.

Harry didn't really feel up to talking to Ron or Hermione since they were still arguing, so he once more found his way to the Ravenclaw common room while he was wandering round in the castle corridors with the fading daylight casting shadows on the grey stone walls.

After answering the riddle, Harry was greeted by a welcoming committee consisting of Jessica and Sheila who had looked up from their comfortable sitting arrangement on a heap of blue pillows in front of one of the tall windows and launched themselves over the room as they saw Harry.

"Harry! How did everything go? We heard from Professor Flitwick about it! What happened, are you alright?" Harry nearly fell over as they threw themselves at him. He hugged them and received a tight hug in return. Anthony and Terry stood behind them and while they smiled at the display they still seemed to be as worried as the girls.

Harry looked down at the blonde and brown hair of the two people attached to him. They shepherded him to the pile of pillows, which Harry realized matched their clothes as they pushed him down before they stood above him looking at him with frowns on their faces.

"You didn't get hurt, right?" Harry smiled at Jessica.

"No I'm fine." Terry snorted.

"Harry, you might be physically alright, but you're not fine, considering everything that happened the past day. If you are I'm a llama." Harry smiled. Perhaps Terry was right there. Though it would be fun too see him as a llama, Harry thought.

He didn't have long to imagine that before he was joined on the pillow heap by Sheila and Jessica as Terry and Anthony dragged a couple of chairs over to their pile and sat down on it.

"Wanna talk about it?" Harry was thankful that he was given an option and thought about it.

"I just found out that the man I thought betrayed my parents was innocent and has been through hell, that Ron's pet rat was the one who did it and I've got new guardians. I'm just… a bit confused." Terry snorted at that and leaned forward and looked Harry in the eye.

"Harry most people wouldn't be a little confused after that; they'd need calming potions." Harry reclined to the pillow heap and looked at the ceiling.

"Does ice cream count as calming." Sheila giggled and with hugs from Sheila and Jessica and sardonic comments and relief from Terry, Harry managed to tell them what had happened. While Sheila and Jessica were great at hugging and comforting in a way, they were still younger than him. Terry gave him comfort in other ways, by being able to give him time and not pushing him, but also being a sounding board when needed. Harry wasn't as close to Anthony, but he too didn't push but was there if Harry needed him, even if he himself admitted that he was better at spells and books than people.

Sheila and Jessica stayed with Harry for the entire conversation and it wasn't until Terry sniggered and levitated a blanket over them that Harry realized that they had fallen asleep. Terry and Anthony sniggered as Harry fought to get out of the pillow pile without waking the two sleeping first years. In the end Terry took pity on him and helped him up while Anthony made sure that the pillow heap didn't implode.

The boys tip-toed their way out of the common room and into the corridor. None of them wanted to wake up the girls but dinner would be soon. Harry looked at the others.

"What about asking the house elves for help? There are so few of us that perhaps they could send the food to the common room?" the other boys nodded and grinned.

"I never really took time to find out all the secret passageways. Oh how remiss I've been." Terry sighs and looks a bit foolish as he pouts dramatically. Looking at each other the boys quickly and silently agreed to use as many passageways they knew on the way to the kitchens. Harry won, but Anthony wasn't that far behind while poor Terry vowed to learn more about the castle as he was dismally the one with the least knowledge. Harry thought that without the map, he probably would have been neck and neck with Anthony.

"You know in first year, Malfoy issued a duel challenge to me in the first weeks. He didn't show but Filch did. We ran through this passageway as we ran from him. Unfortunately we ended up in the forbidden corridor even though we escaped him." Terry and Anthony sniggered. Since Harry was in front of them, it obviously went alright and Harry guessed that they'd heard the rumors during the end of their first year. Terry looked at Harry with narrowed eyes.

"Did Hagrid really have a Cerberus?" Harry nodded.

"Yup it was called Fluffy." Terry nearly walked into the wall.

"He also had a dragon in first year called Norbert, it was a Norwegian Ridgeback." Anthony blinked, shook his head and grinned.

"He had a dragon? What happened to it? Anyway does anyone else think Hagrid's naming habit is odd? I mean the dog is really friendly and he's called Fang and the deadly creatures are called Fluffy and Norbert." The boys looked thoughtful as they ducked under another tapestry and nearly got attacked by a floating mistletoe garland that they evaded quickly.

"Charlie Weasley took the dragon to the reserve he works at. Perhaps the more dangerous the cuter name they're given?" agreeing, the boys entered the kitchen and had to halt their conversation as ten house elves asked them what they needed. Dinner sorted, they were ushered out as the elves had plenty to do and the boys didn't want to disturb the elves.

Halfway up from the kitchens they bumped into Ron. Ron blushed and took a deep breath as the carefree atmosphere vanished from the others. Harry hoped this would turn out better then their last encounter. Ron rubbed his neck as the blush lingered on his face.

"Could I talk to you Harry?" Harry looked over at Terry and Anthony who nodded. Terry leaned in and whispered to Harry.

"No matter the end of this, remember to come back to the Claw's common room." With a slightly wary look at Ron the two boys set off to the Ravenclaw common room. Harry looked at Ron who looked anywhere but at Harry.

"You know the whole thing with the broom, I just…" Harry stood silent and watched Ron fumble over his words. Harry didn't want to be mean, but he needed Ron to decide what he wanted to do and say. Harry needed to know that Ron could deal with Harry being someone else than Ron's best friend and do things without Ron and do things that Ron didn't like. Harry needed to be Harry and he didn't want his friends to be unable to handle that. So he waited for Ron.

"Hermione's smart you know and the whole thing with the broom was stupid but she and I've been fighting all year, so when she talked to me later, I just thought it was because of our fight I got so angry at her and it just seemed so reasonable when she said it and you never yell and…"

"You did say that I always take my temper out on you." Harry stated calmly as Ron nodded and grimaced.

"Hermione said something like that, that you get moody and take it out on us, I'm not sure…" Harry wasn't surprised that Hermione would have said that since she lashed out on everybody lately. She really needed the rest. That didn't make what Ron said right though.

"You still said it. Ron what you need is to think. You're not stupid, even if you somehow think that you can't measure up to your brothers. To say something to me you don't even mean, why would you do that?" Ron sighed.

"You and Hermione, you're my only friends. I just got scared, you've been studying and taking other courses and Hermione and I've been fighting all term." Harry raised his eyebrow.

"So you thought it would get better if you blamed me for getting angry at Hermione for going behind my back and making it sound to the professors like I acted like a toddler about it?" Ron grimaced.

"I know I messed up, I got enough letters from home to tell me that." Ron hung his head.

"You know Ron, this is something we need to get over once and for all if we're going to be friends. Is your family perfect, probably not, no family is. Neither are your brothers, so don't compare yourself all the time. You've got a family; I might get one, if things turn out alright, but up until yesterday I didn't really have anything looking like a family." Ron looked at Harry in confusion.

"Would you trade your family, they'd be dead; you could never speak to them again if you could have all of the Malfoys' fortune?" Ron recoiled from Harry's words.

"Of course not!" Ron said vehemently while Harry looked at him coldly.

"Than why do you get angry at me whenever anything concerning money comes up? Do I yell at you anytime you mention your family, holidays with them, birthdays celebrated, memories of good night stories and the like?" Ron looked a bit chagrined.

"Well it's not really the same…" Ron said but Harry cut him off angrily.

"Bollocks it isn't! You just said family is more important than gold, yet you're allowed to get angry over lack of gold, but I'm not getting angry over lack of family. You have food and a roof over your head, clothes and school supplies. I know that only having a second hand wand isn't good, but otherwise isn't the fact that you have a families love worth so much more than my ability to buy sweets or new stuff?" Ron sighed and nodded.

"Yeah it is I guess I just didn't want to see it that way. I know you never mean to brag, like Malfoy does. I just get so angry. I suppose I can work on it?" Ron said tentatively and Harry nodded.

"I'm not perfect Ron, I don't expect you to be. But I can't walk around on eggshells in case you get offended by something. Talk to me instead. Say this makes me uncomfortable instead of being angry and saying nothing about it." Harry looked at Ron who nodded. Harry really felt out of his depth with all of this.

"Sorry about the whole blaming you thing. I'll try and work on this talking thing." Ron offered and Harry nodded.

"Apology accepted." Harry and Ron shock hands.

"You know Ron, I'm not the scared eleven year old anymore. We can still be friends even if we do different things or hang out with different people. You've been talking to Oliver a lot lately, right?" Harry asked Ron.

"Yeah, he's really nice and knows so much about Quidditch." Ron looked excitedly at Harry.

"Exactly. See you've got a friend that I don't know so well, sure he's my captain, but we don't really talk like you do. Don't worry I won't stop being your friend because I become friends with others or because we study differently. Hermione will hopefully feel better soon, I hope she does." Harry sighed wistfully after finishing his sentence; he really hoped Hermione would get better.

"You know mate, I'm sorry about the whole rat thing." Ron said and Harry nearly got whiplash from turning so quickly.

"That wasn't your fault Ron. How were you supposed to have known?" Harry looked at Ron earnestly, this of all things he really didn't blame Ron for in the least. Perhaps his parents because they had never wondered about how long he lived, but not Ron.

"Its weird though you know, knowing now all the times I defended the rat and it, he, whatever slept in my bed!" Ron looked revolted and Harry took his arm and started to walk.

"Don't think about it Ron, it'll only make it worse. Come on, we can have dinner in Ravenclaw tower, you can meet Terry, Anthony, Sheila and Jessica properly." Harry continued to walk and was glad when Ron kept up the pace and didn't complain about meeting Harry's friends. Ron turned to look at Harry after they'd gone a little bit however.

"You know mate, I should have just let Hermione's bloody cat eat the thing! He'd have deserved it." Ron said gloomily and Harry burst out laughing, glad when Ron joined him. Sure, Harry thought later, it would have been fitting, but then the truth would have never come out.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day Harry, went down to breakfast just as Ron started to crawl out of bed.

"Harry mate, you've heard of sleeping in right?" Ron mumbled into his pillow before he turned and grinned at Harry with one eye blearily squinted at him. Harry snorted and chucked a pillow at Ron.

"Yeah I've heard of it, never understood the concept entirely." Harry teased back, happy that things were more normal between them again.

Down in the Great Hall Harry was the first down, apart from Daphne. She waved him over with a smile as she stifled a yawn behind a hand. As there were so few students in the castle, the normal seating arrangement still hadn't returned so the round table from Christmas day was still placed in the middle of the hall. The Christmas tree's twinkling candle lights made the normally grey hall cheerful and warm. At the different special feasts it was always more colorful, but otherwise the dominating colors. were from the grey stone walls and floors as well as the dark wood of the benches and tables. The ceiling could of course break this up with good weather, but during the winter months grey nearly always dominated the room.

Daphne tugged Harry down as he neared her.

"Jessica sent me catalogs from the muggle world with their swimwear. I thought it was a joke at first, after all she seems to be the joker of the two rascals?" Daphne looked at Harry with slightly narrowed eyes. Harry nodded and smiled.

"Muggle swimwear covers less skin, but I'm not a good judge in the matter. Penelope Clearwater is a seventh year prefect, perhaps she could tell you more about it?" Harry suggested to Daphne, who nodded with her eyebrows slightly pushed together.

"I'll ask her after the holidays." She confirmed and continued eating her porridge. They settled into eating their breakfast in a comfortable silence. It was broken by a few morning owls, who didn't keep with the human conventions of sleeping in on school holidays. Harry gave Hedwig a piece of bacon as she hooted at him from his shoulder. He made sure that his fingers were clean and then preened her after she head butted him in a suggestion to hurry up. Harry grinned at Daphne who was valiantly trying not to laugh at Harry and Hedwig's interactions.

Daphne meanwhile, Harry noted, was trying to untie the paper she had received. She gave up and cut it with a well-aimed cutting charm. As she unwrapped the paper Harry give a silent blessing that there were only the two of them in the hall, apart from a few of the teachers.

The front page of the paper featured a picture of the rat man also known as Peter Pettigrew. Other pictures were of Sirius Black with the caption of "innocent!" as well as a picture of Harry sitting in the stands. Harry was glad that it wasn't a picture during the moments he had had tears in his eyes. Daphne glanced at Harry.

"You look stoic, don't worry about it." Daphne smiled at him.

"It's just a bit weird having your picture on the front page." Harry offered back as he stabbed his egg. Daphne looked at him.

"So I shouldn't mention that you've been on the front page before?" Daphne asked tentatively with her eyebrows raised.

"What?" Harry gaped at Daphne.

"Mostly archive photos of you as a child, one photo really, after that Halloween and then when you began Hogwarts. Stuff such as 'Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts!'" Daphne said as Harry stared at her.

"And that made the front page!" Harry said with a sigh and knitted eyebrows while Daphne rolled her eyes.

"You're really famous Harry, I know you don't seem to like it and that is fine, healthy probably, but it won't go away so you need to deal with it. Don't you get things like fan mail?" Daphne asked Harry who still felt like someone had hit him over the head with a hammer.

Harry glanced at the articles as Daphne read them and they seemed to be fairly accurate about the trial and the fact that Sirius was presumed innocent. One of the paragraphs caught his attention however, since it proclaimed that it would be tricky to find the man, even if they now knew that he had not committed the crimes he had spent time in prison for, even if he had never been given a trial.

"I always knew that a lot of the officials forgot procedure during the war but you get more than a bit afraid that such a high profile case was handled so horribly. Conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day." Daphne said with frown. She shook her head and flipped the page. Harry looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked Daphne. The only time Aunt Petunia had mentioned conspiracy theories had been about aliens and government cover-ups about their supposed visits. The term nutcase had been the one Aunt Petunia had used for them.

"There are always people who suspects that the Ministry isn't doing things properly and that they're hiding things. They do have some foundation for it since there is a history of some corruption in the ministry due to people trusting so few after all the wars during the past century. We're a relatively small community, the British wizarding population, so corruption even on a small scale can create bigger ripples. Thing were particularly bad during and after the last war since no one trusted people unknown to them. Terry Boot could probably explain the legal side of it in more detail. I grew up in politics, but he grew up with legal talk every day. I've heard him talk; he's kidding himself if he thinks he's not going to end up a lawyer." Daphne concluded with a little laugh. Harry snorted, he had shared the same thought about Terry's future.

The comments Daphne made about the possible causes of the mess of the non-existent trial stuck with Harry even after they parted after breakfast. Professor McGonagall had said that he was welcome if he wanted to talk to her about it and as far as adults he trusted in this castle McGonagall was pretty high up on that list. While he was becoming closer to Uncle Remus, as Harry reminded himself to call the man, he still didn't know if he wanted to talk about this with him. Sirius Black had been Remus' friend and he had thought that he had betrayed them all. If Harry was confused by it, he couldn't imagine how Remus was feeling.

Harry still hesitated however if he really wanted to bother Professor McGonagall. He had already taken up so much of her time and if he was completely honest with himself he didn't really trust her yet even after the past weeks. He knew she had done so much to help him but he still remembered the fact that she had dismissed him during a couple of crises in Harry's school years.

Deciding to give it a go and see when he could meet with the Tonks' again, Harry steered his feet towards the office for the woman who he had started to get to know these past months. Harry wondered how he could get in touch with the Tonks'. He didn't really want to ask Professor McGonagall for anything else, but he didn't feel like this was something you put into a letter either.

In the end, all of Harry's worries had been for nothing as when he was admitted into Professor McGonagall's office the Tonks', bar Dora, were already there. Harry did a double take and blinked.

"Harry, good I was just about to ask one of the house elves where you were. Due to a certain front page we thought you might need someone to discuss these matters with. Only if you want to of course." Mrs Tonks said, looking at Harry with a small smile on her lips as she stood up. Her arms moved a bit, as if she had been on her way to embrace him but hesitated before she could complete the action.

For the second time that day Harry felt like someone had hit him over the head with a hammer. The thought that someone might truly care for him hadn't really settled yet. The Weasley's didn't count in a way, because he was friends with Ron. These people seemed to care just because of Harry and he wasn't really used to that. Still, Harry put out his arm a bit and with a smile Mrs Tonks hugged him slightly.

Harry thought the hug was nice. It wasn't like Mrs Weasley's hugs where you could almost feel your ribs breaking but he could still feel the embrace. With a slight smile Harry thought he could get used to this hugging thing, perhaps.

After the hug everybody sat down and Harry looked at Professor McGonagall. She seemed to sag a little before she straightened again.

"Harry, I know that you've seen today's newspaper?" McGonagall said and Harry nodded.

"Well as the paper pointed out; things are probably not as easy as we would wish. If Sirius Black is completely cleared he is your legal guardian, which could cause some issues with your placement with Mr and Mrs Tonks. However Mrs Tonks and Mr Black are cousins, so that should hopefully not be a problem." McGonagall peered at him over the rim of her glasses. Harry nodded to show that he was listening.

"Also Harry you should know that it is very possible that Sirius won't be found for some time. After all, he has no reason to trust anyone. Even if he has seen the papers he will most likely not believe it. We do not know what effects Azkaban has had on him. Reports from people who met him and the fact that he managed to escape, suggest that he might be in better conditions that one should after more than a decade in Azkaban." McGonagall said as she kept looking into Harry's eyes. Harry knew this but he wasn't sure what he thought of it.

Harry didn't want to change guardians at the moment, but he of course wanted to know more about his parents. He wasn't sure how to react to a man who he had thought had betrayed Harry's parents. He also wondered how Uncle Remus felt about all of this. A hand was placed on his arm and Harry started as he didn't notice that something else had been said as he spaced out.

"Harry, you will be consulted about all of this. You're thirteen now, a young man who has showed himself capable to handle things maturely. However at the moment, please tell us if Sirius shows up somewhere, because most likely he'll need medical attention. Azkaban isn't a good place for anything but Dementors." Mr Tonks said quietly. Harry nodded. He stood up and looked at the other occupants in the room.

"If you don't mind Professor… How's Hermione?" Harry asked his head of House.

"She's getting better, if you want to you can visit her, but don't stay for a long time. However I want you to promise me to tell one of us if things go badly." Professor McGonagall looked at him with a slight smile. Harry nodded and soon found himself wandering the halls towards the hospital wing.

Harry didn't really know how to approach Hermione, after all he did care for her greatly, but the past weeks had been trying and things had melted down completely. He didn't want to make things worse. At the same time Harry didn't want to fold down and be the one in the only one in the wrong, he knew that while he could have handled things better the fight wasn't due to any failing on his part.

Hermione was sitting in a bed and in an unusual turn, without a book. Her hair was its usual mess, which was reassuring as it was something that was so Hermione for Harry. She didn't look as tired, which made him glad because for the past months, she had been tired and snappish all the time.

Harry walked slowly towards her bed, not knowing what to say or if she would want him here. Once, they had been as close as siblings, and just over six months ago Harry had been in the same situation with Hermione in the hospital wing, but this was quite different.

Harry was of course happy that Hermione wasn't petrified this time around, but he didn't know how to help her really this time either. Telling someone who knew that he was worried, might have been the best idea, but Harry wasn't sure of it. He certainly didn't know how Hermione would feel about it.

Hermione had always been bookish and a bit awkward around social interaction, but Harry had also been more than a bit awkward. The past months however, she hadn't been able to relax at all or read for enjoyment, she had always been stressed and working on an endless list of assignments.

Hermione looked up as Harry came closer, and deciding to use the bravery that placed him in Gryffindor Harry decided to just hop in. He walked up to her and gave her a small smile.

"Hi Hermione. I'm sorry I didn't come by sooner."


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione and Harry looked at each other. Harry thought that Hermione did look much healthier than she had looked the last time he'd seen her. Her skin tone wasn't as pale as Snape's anymore and her eyes wasn't surrounded by big dark circles. However Harry didn't really know how she was feeling and if her stress levels actually had decreased; he had intimate knowledge of the brilliance of Madam Pomfrey and her remedies. Harry stood a bit awkwardly by the bed as he fought the urge to squirm under Hermione's gaze. Harry pulled at the side of his robe.

"Hello Harry." Hermione was quite cool, but she didn't seem as hostile as she had been all term. The sharpness of her tone had toned down. Harry took a stop forward bringing forward the bravery he as a Gryffindor was supposed to have and jumped right in.

"We've got a lot to talk about, don't we?" Harry said. At Hermione's nod he jumped right back in.

"I'm not really sorry about sharing my concerns with McGonagall Hermione and I understand if you're upset about it. I think you'll probably say you did the same thing with the issue about the broom. However I was afraid that you'd burn out from all the stress you were under and we've already talked about how much you're doing before." Harry tried to speak calmly but he was fairly certain that he was speaking much faster than he normally did. Hermione pursed her lips at Harry comments but didn't say anything.

"What did madam Pomfrey say?" Harry said after they were both silent for some very uncomfortable moments. Hermione's health was more important than their argument and Harry knew that they'd discuss it all sooner rather than later.

"Too much stress, so my magical core was unstable and the chemical balance in my body was off and such things. I hadn't eaten properly I guess as well, so I'm on a diet to get everything I need as well." Hermione picked on the comforter as she spoke. Harry took a step closer and sat down in the chair next to her bed.

"Hermione… I care a lot about you, you're one of the first persons to become my friend and see me as me and not how others view me. I know you thought I would act stupidly about the broom but why didn't you speak to me about it before?" Harry asked Hermione quietly. Hermione sighed and stopped picking on the comforter.

"I was so sure that you'd think the same as Ron that I didn't even reflect that you hadn't said anything about it. It's just that most of the time you just rush into things." Hermione said meeting Harry's eyes properly for the first time.

"I do know that I've had a habit of rushing into things before, but by the time you went to McGonagall I'd had the broom for half a day and still not mentioned riding it. You do this a lot Hermione. You assume things, like that I don't do my homework or that I'm always going to be the same as I was at eleven. You and Ron have the security of someone always loving you; your families are always going to love you. I don't have that, so you and Ron were so important to me that I became stuck as the person I came across as when we first met; if I acted differently you made sure to tell me it wasn't alright. Both of you did this. People change and grow up. I like reading, but I'm not as fond of research and schoolwork as you are Hermione." Harry needed to get all of this out so he took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry if I'm giving a lecture but you and Ron kept me on a very tight leech Hermione. Both of you disliked me speaking to other people, or doing something that neither of you were interested in. If I made a decision without you two you got annoyed, like changing subjects. Even then you assumed that I'd need to refer to your better judgment to decide. That's not how friends behave, I've learned that this term. Friends support each other and help them to grow up. Of course people fight and worry, but friends do not behave as if the other person is less intelligent or not allowed to do perfectly normal things without their friend's permission." Harry finished a bit wary since Hermione looked furious.

"Well that is just…" she fell silent as she fingered on a letter on the bedside table. They were both quiet for some minutes as Hermione seemed to think what to say. She quietly started to speak just as Harry was thinking about saying something himself.

"My mom wrote a letter to me when she found out from McGonagall about everything. She was madder about not talking to you first then going to the professors. I guess it's about talking to each other. But Harry you never showed an interest in school and all your plans often fall apart so…" She fell silent again as she thought about it.

"I guess we need to think about it? You need to show who you really are and I need to pay attention?" Hermione said hesitantly. Harry wasn't completely satisfied with that but it was a beginning so he could live with that for the moment. After all he knew that things with Ron was far from resolved either. The damage from Harry's silence and Ron and Hermione's presumption would take time to heal.

They both agreed to resume their talk about their friendship (Ron's were included, but he wasn't really a person who valued long discussions). At the moment Harry filled Hermione up on the hearing, new guardians and Peter Pettigrew. His new found knowledge of his mother's friendship and more intimate things were not discussed. While Harry and Hermione had buried the hatchet for the time being, they were far from fine and the more intimate issues of Harry's new knowledge wasn't something he was comfortable discussing with her yet. Just like Harry's friendship with Ron would take some time to start to mend properly again. This was simply a different take on mending it. Besides Hermione's stress levels were included in this longer approach.

Just as Harry prepared to leave Hermione sighed.

"I guess what I'm most mad about is that they're making me quit two classes and have taken back the time-turner. I need to tell them which before term begins." Hermione muttered. Harry raised an eyebrow, thinking that this was probably reasonable since Hermione's stress had made her ill. He didn't voice that thought.

"Well it's your decision Hermione. But you really hate divination, right?" Harry said. Hermione nodded with pursed lips.

"And honestly for you muggle studies isn't really needed. It you wish to study how wizards view muggles you can join the muggle studies study group. A lot of the muggle raised in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are doing that. Penelope Clearwater told me that. She took the muggle studies owl despite not taking the class." Harry said quietly. Hermione looked at him mouth slightly agape, which she seemed to realize as she quickly closed her mouth.

"The study group sounds great. I'll admit that most of the material this year have been basic knowledge I already have and little about wizards view on muggles and their culture. Are… are you thinking about joining the group?" Hermione said the last bit hesitantly.

"I hadn't thought too much about it. Apparently most people join the group in their fourth year and go every second week. I want to make sure I have time for it with ten other classes and quidditch." Harry said. Hermione nodded.

"Thank you for the information. I am still not happy about quitting classes, but the knowledge that I've got an alternative is good to know." Hermione said and she and Harry looked at each other a tad awkwardly. They both said quick goodbyes as Harry made his way out of the hospital wing.

After he exited the hospital wing Harry walked around the castle a bit aimlessly. He passed the Grey Lady and the Fat Friar and greeted both before he found himself in front of the Ravenclaw common room. It was a bit like doing a round off of his friends. He spoke to Ron and Daphne this morning, with Daphne giving him an impromptu politics and media relations lesson. He supposed coming from a politically involved family did that to a person. Still he was thankful, politics were a weird world to him. No one seemed to say what they really meant.

Then he has spoken to Hermione (well he had spoken to the Tonks' and professor McGonagall, but they were sort-of-family and teacher) and now he was hoping he got to see his Ravenclaw friends. The rest of his friends, including his friends from the upper years, wouldn't be back until after Christmas.

As Harry stepped into the Ravenclaw common room he was for once not attacked by the exuberant Ravenclaw duo of Sheila and Jessica. The two were as mischievous as they were kind though so Harry looked around so that they wouldn't sneak up on him. As they didn't appear he walked up to Terry and Anthony. They were seated by one of the windows and while Terry was reading a letter, Anthony was reading a book about experimental spells. Anthony saw Harry's goldfish look and smiled.

"Don't worry, just theory right now. I'd like to do something like that later though. I wanted to become a scientist before I got the letter and I like looking things up and experimenting so…" Anthony trailed of as Harry smiled. While Harry didn't know Anthony too well, he was fairly sure that the boy who seemed to calmly observe everything would suit as a scientist just fine. He told Anthony so and got a smile in return.

Terry snorted and put down the letter. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Anthony.

"Well as long as you don't become a mad scientist, we can't have that. Seriously though, you'd be brilliant at it." Terry said. Anthony smirked at him.

"Yes just as you'd become a brilliant lawyer." Anthony said. Terry huffed.

"My father is a lawyer, but that does not mean that I will be one. In fact I won't be one." Terry said stubbornly.

"Why? Every time you say that you always talk about your dad but not why you would want or not want it." Harry said.

"Also you can see things from different perspectives which is a good qualification for a lawyer. Don't forget that I know that just as I read this for fun, you read trial transcripts." Anthony said and tapped on his book while Terry spluttered at them.

"You've got good critical thinking as well, Terry. That is 'an essential component in a lawyer's arsenal' as you said last week. You already know most of the terminology and always read the parts where your dad talks about his job first when he writes to you." Harry finished off with. He and Anthony high fived as Terry glared at them. Terry sighed as both of the other boys turned back to look as him with wide grins. The sarcastic boy for once didn't seem to have a snappy retort and pouted.

"Introducing the two of you to each other was a terrible idea." Terry finally said and went back to his letter after winking at the other two, who promptly burst out laughing. Harry felt the stress of everything, friends and who would be his guardians, fade away as they continued to talk about future plans and good books.


	15. Chapter 15

Sirius ran as fast as he could. He didn't know how they had managed to keep up with him. He had been desperate for food. The dementors had disappeared from Hogwarts some weeks prior and he had been wondering how to best get inside where he would be able to get the rat, get Peter. That little scum. When Sirius got his hands on him…

What had stopped these thoughts and led to his current fleeing was a newspaper. He had been reading newspapers when he could during his escape. He had nearly transformed back to human form in shock when he saw the date on the newspapers a few days after his escape. He had obviously lost track of time as he hadn't realized that Harry would be at Hogwarts, that he would be a teenager. It had also been an old newspaper from June that told him of Hogwarts and closing and Dumbledore and other hogwash that had informed Sirius that Harry lived with his muggle relatives. He had been gobsmacked. There were so many different people that were supposed to get custody of Harry.

In their will Lily and James had stated that if anything happened to them both, custody of Harry would primarily go to Sirius. That had obviously not been a possibility, but Sirius still wished in some part of him that wasn't dead set on avenging his brother in all but blood and the kindest women he had known that he had not let Hagrid take Harry from Sirius's arms. What was done was done and there were no reason to dwell on it. All that filled Sirius was getting that damn rat.

Remus, well Moony, had never been an option, not for lack of affection between them all despite their suspicions about the possibility that Remus might have gotten persuaded that life would be better without the current regime. After all it was that regime that had made it impossible for Moony to be a guardian to Harry. Their laws about werewolves were disgusting and filled of prejudice.

After Sirius then Edgar and Helen Bones and not Remus had been listed as guardians. They had been in the Order together and Lily and James were also on their list of possible guardians to their children and also their niece Susan. While not their closest friends due to age discrepancy, they did get along and most important they trusted one another. During the war that was not something that could be taken lightly. Also on the list were the Longbottoms', for the same reason as the Bones'. Sirius cousin Andromeda was also listed since Sirius trusted her. That had been good enough for Lily and James.

Now however Sirius knew that Harry lived with his muggle relatives for some godforsaken reason (as a muggle would say, Sirius thought were best not repeated). He had therefore ran in the direction of London and then moved around towards Surrey. He did remember the area in which Lily's sister had lived. He had been there once to support Lily after her parents' funeral, but he was surprised that he remembered the area.

Once there Sirius had been more than a little annoyed that he could not find the house. He had walked around finding his way just to find himself somewhere else than he intended. After doing this several times Sirius growled and felt like biting something. Shaking it of stalked to a dark corner of a park and plotted. Finally feeling less like biting and more like plotting, Sirius came to the realization that someone had placed deception charms of some sort. While he was happy that Harry was safe, he still burned with need to see the pup. Sirius wanted to see Harry safe and sound.

After many unsuccessful attempts to find the house he settled in some bushes near a road he could swear was close to the house. He managed to realize that a big black shaggy dog might not be best welcomed in an area like this. He needed to be unseen, but hopefully he's see his godson.

Somehow, somewhere someone pushing around chance and luck, after a couple days of staying hidden during daylight and dark hours, sneaking garbage for eating and drinking out of garden ponds Sirius smelled something new but familiar. Drawn into recklessness he stepped forward (as a dog) through the passageway between the house and garage and saw a boy looking so much like James, but very much with an air of Lily about him. The boy kicked the curb and Sirius took another step. It felt like a magnetic force drove him towards the son of his loved ones, his pup. A twig broke under him, his need to see the boy had made him reckless.

Harry swirled around and raised his wand.

"Lumos." A light shone on Sirius obscuring his sight. Still he could see the boy's outline and the voice… It wasn't exactly James or James' father voice but so similar. Just a few steps closer and he would be touching his godson…

A load bang woke Sirius up to his senses. He realized it was the Knightbus and dove back into the bushes, safe in the knowledge that the Knightbus didn't pose a threat to Harry. Just in case he would stay at the lookout however.

Clearly the new conductor was of in somewhat limited use of his intelligence, but he did manage to get Harry on the bus and get Harry's attention off Sirius. Sirius looked after the bus for a long time before he finally shook himself and had started his long run towards the north. He needed to stay hidden and he needed to get a bit healthier. It probably was a good idea if his ribs wasn't visible to people standing a mile away.

Thus Sirius has started his journey north before he entered Hogsmede. During various attempts to locate the bleeding rat had failed, but he had not given up and was gathering intelligence by getting newspapers. This newspapers headline however had sent him into shock. There in bold black print it proclaimed 'Death Eater Peter Pettigrew Sentenced To Life Imprisonment, Sirius Black Exonerated'. Before he knew what was happening he gripped the paper staring on it in shock. Could it be or had he finally lost his mind?

Sirius was so shocked that he didn't realize that he has transformed back into human shape. Shouts around him alerted him to that fact however.

"It's Sirius Black! He's alive."

"Someone get a healer, look at him."

"Don't worry sir we know the truth now."

"Someone get the aurors! They've been up in the castle so they've probably not left yet…" the last one caught Sirius attention as the formerly empty street was filled with people. Transforming back into a dog he rushed out of the main street into an empty side street before someone had a chance to react. He knew without a wand he had his best chance as a dog. He bounded into the forests surrounding the village and Hogwarts. However soon he realized that he was followed. They were shouting at him but he ignored them as he leaped over a stream and slalomed through the forest to avoid the stunners sent after him.

One moment Sirius is running as fast as he can dodging and leaping his way through the forest and the next he wakes up in a hospital bed looking at a witch who isn't completely unfamiliar. He blinks and tries to get up, only to realize that he is unable to move anything else then his head. He panics but a young healer in green comes forward.

"Don't worry Mr. Black you're only immobilized. This will be lifted as soon as we've determined that you don't suffer any ill effects from Azkaban that could cause you to harm yourself or others." The young healer says, sounding as if this is something she has said about a million times before. Quick, snappy and impersonal. The older witch that Sirius cannot place smiles at him.

"You're no longer a wanted man Sirius, indeed the ministry owes you a big apology. However your long time exposure to dementors, which is a particularly large presence in the high risk wing, is something that can be unpredictable. So far you haven't harmed another person as far as we can find, but you did break into Gryffindor tower. You will not face charges for that or your unregistered animagus form. The first is probably not something that would have happened without you illegal incarceration and the second is something many aurors kept hidden during the war. Most of them died before they could register or registered after the war or retirement, keeping it a secret with permission from the head on law enforcement. That position is now held by me." The woman gave Sirius a strained smile. His thoughts whirred as he tried to place her. He had known her form the department. She hadn't been a member of the order, but her brother had been and Amelia Bones was one of the best and most respected aurors as Sirius went through the auror academy.

Sirius tried to respond to the information that had been given but only a rasp could be heard. The healer stepped forward again.

"It's likely that it will take a while for full control over your vocal capabilities as a human will return. Speech is a bit more intricate and you vocal cords were damaged. You'd still be able to do some limited use like making sound. However were trying to fix your vocal cords at the moment and the process often prevents speech until the healing is finished." Sirius grimaced and nodded. The healer went into more detail of his various injuries, ligaments, sinew, muscle damage, bone fragility, malnourishment, vitamin deficiencies leading to deceases, hormonal production unhinged etc. Sirius stopped listening after a while almost falling asleep to the healers litany of maladies.

The auror and ministry personal had things to say however. His lack of trial meant that he was to be given compensation. He was a free man but he would not be allowed to leave until the aurors knew that the dementor exposure hadn't caused more than his hormonal production to be unhinged. However bureaucracy didn't bow down even to the stern looks from Madam Bones, so a standard form of his animagus's forms traits had to be filled, using communication of nods, head shakes and blinks in Morse code (His parents would have been scandalized).

After some more legal wrangling, as well as the discovery that since he was never convicted, he was still an auror, with loads of back pay, the healer finally booted the ministry personnel. He had a promise that legal counsel would be given admittance. However his next visitor took Sirius by surprise.

Sirius had fallen asleep shortly after the ministry invasion of his hospital room (private, apparently there was some interest in him from the media's side, particularly some journalist called Rita Skeeter, that the healer ("Healer Jones by the way, Auror Black") muttered some highly intriguing and insulting things about. When he woke up again he was greeted by a familiar but unknown face. Could this really be Remus? This man so aged?

Sirius vocal cords couldn't obey him still, so Sirius managed not to insult his sole remaining friend alive the first thing he did. He might have cried a little, but so did Remus. Somehow they ended up half in Sirius bed, half in Remus's chair, holding each other as more than a decade of tears of grief, anger and despair washed over them.

"I'm sorry Sirius, I'm so sorry, I thought it was you, I did nothing, I should have done something…" Sirius held Remus and Remus regrets and apologies poured out of him. He didn't blame him even if Sirius would need to wait to verbally assure Remus. For now Sirius simply held his friend. Sirius tucked in his head into Remus shoulder like Remus used to do to him on those full moon nights when Remus were terrified of the monster he would shortly become. The pain Remus had learned to handle, something that had always made Sirius and James ache, but the knowledge that he could hurt someone, was always Remus biggest fear. The fact that they had persuaded him to run around with them in their animagus form, no longer filled him with joy. The dementors had been a bit too good at getting someone to do some serious introspection.

"Harry is at Hogwarts. He's doing really well, Sirius. He looks so much like James, but that boy has so much of his mother in him. He's had some troubles with his friends, but it's slowly fixing itself now. He's so brave, too brave. Lily's sister, she… Well Harry's placed with your cousin Andromeda now. She'll most likely come over sooner or later, but she's at the school at the moment, telling Harry about you being found." Sirius felt something in him relax. The pup was safe and Andie was looking after him. Sirius really wanted to know what that horrible woman had done, but he guessed that revenge would only lead to more troubles. Not that the healers would let him get up and hunt down the information at the moment.

Remus and Sirius remained in their awkward position, holding each other just to remember that they weren't alone anymore. They didn't talk much that would come later. There would be discussions about Harry, Remus's job and how life had treated him. Remembrance for those they lost, what the wizarding world looked like today; all of it would be discussed, but not now. This moment was for two lost boys having been forced to become men by a world in war. This was for everything that they lost and having finally found the family they created again. Members of that family might be lost, but now they had each other.

It was a week later, after more visits from Remus and Andie, that Sirius was allowed to eat proper food for the first time. Apparently the healers hadn't liked the state of his digestion system at all. Sirius hadn't liked being banned from anything but broth and water as well as horrible potions, but the taste of chicken tikka masala followed by some outlandish chocolate thing from Remus Sirius was very, very pleased that he had been captured.


	16. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting closure on Prediction no thank you!: an epilogue
> 
> So this takes place the summer after third year. I will not be writing more of this unless some Muse comes along, but considering the time (four years since the last update) and many rewrites and scraped attempts, consider this done.
> 
> I am inviting anyone interested in adopting this to continue this to contact me here.

Harry put down the quill after he had finished the last rune and sealed the letter. It was for Hermione, she had suggested they write their letter in runes of the writers choice before they left Hogwarts and Harry had happily agreed. Harry was inviting both her and Ron to stay a few days at the Tonks' before the summer holidays ended. For once Harry would be able to invite them into his home and to meet his family.

He couldn't wait to have his oldest friends here. Most of his friends were going to visit at least for a day during the summer. Terry and Anthony, the quidditch team, Sheila and Jessica, Susan and Hannah, Luna, Cedric and Penny, Neville and even Daphne had been by for tea with her family while Mrs Greengrass and Andie discussed the application of some new potions in healing.

Letting Hedwig out after a small cuddle session Harry went to the room next to his and knocked.

"Sirius, you up?" A mumble was heard, so Harry opened to door.

Sirius was a lump in the middle of the bed with his feet sticking out of the blanket.

"Bad day?" Harry asked.

"It's not a great one, but you can stay for a bit. Gotta get up for therapy later anyway," Sirius said as he pulled the blanket a bit from his head.

Harry sat on the chair by the side of the bed. Normally it was occupied by Harry, Remus or Andie.

Sirius was still a patient at st Mungos, but now he was an outpatient. Andie had offered him a room as soon as she saw that he had stabilized a bit for as long as was needed during his recovery. Andie had given Sirius a Look when he had suggested that he could stay somewhere else and didn't need to impose.

"You're my cousin Sirius and my favorite one at that. Also Harry lives with me." That had been the end of that discussion.

Remus had quit his position in the school since knowledge that he was a werewolf had leaked. Instead he had started up a tutoring business, teaching those who didn't go to Hogwarts, those who had difficulties, adults who needed to brush up their skills and anyone else interested. With Andie's support it was going decently. He was also spending a lot of time at the Tonks'. He was there to see Harry and Sirius of course and also to delight everyone with his baking and cooking skills regarding different chocolate creations. However more and more of his time was spent chatting with Dora, much to the amusement of Sirius on the days he was well enough to spend a lot of time up enough to truly witness their interactions.

When Sheila and Jessica had visited, they'd taken one look at Harry and Sirius and solemnly asked if they needed hugs. It had devolved into a cuddle pit where the entire household and their guest lay on a mass of pillows and held each other. It had been one of the best days Sirius had had so far.

While Sirius was a patient at St Mungos, it had also been suggested that Harry attend therapy as well. He had enough traumatic experiences that he considered normal that a serious discussion with Harry had been had at the Tonks. Forcing him into therapy would do no good and the Dursleys had called it a variety of derogatory names. In the end, Harry agreed to try for the summer to talk to a therapist about growing up at the Dursleys, what he heard when the dementors came near and his experiences at Hogwarts.

Sitting by Sirius side, Harry held his hand.

"Wanna go swimming?" Harry asked when a bit more of Sirius face was reveled. Apart from smiling at Remus and Dora, swimming might be Sirius new favorite activity. Harry could a lot of the time be seen in the pool reveling at free time during the summer and in his newfound ability. He wasn't great, but he had fun. For Sirius being in water was one of the few activities he could do without being in constant pain. The water helped since there wasn't as much load on his joints, which were among the last things to heal physically on Sirius.

"Will any of your friends come today?" Sirius slowly rolled up to a sitting position with a little help from Harry and was soon ready to slowly drift in the water.

"Yeah, Terry will be by later."

Sirius grinned.

"So how long until I get more embarrassing tales from him? There was something about a valentine?" Sirius said, smirking at Harry.

"Not too long probably, he's getting revenge on me and Anthony ganging up on him, or so he says," Harry said with a sigh.

In the pool Sirius was half on a floatie and half on the water. Harry was checking how long he could hold his breath underwater.

"This looks relaxing", was all the forewarning they got before Terry jumped into the pool cannonball style.

After Harry managed to get revenge by dunking Terry to the sound of Sirius cackles, the boys started a proper water fight, both keeping on the opposite side from Sirius so not to splash him.

"Sirius!" Terry shouted between the splashing. "Has this fiend decided what he wants for his birthday yet?"

"Nope, but we're keeping a close eye on him so we have a few ideas."

The preparations for Harry's birthday party had taken him a bit off guard. First of all, he was having a party something that he had never had. He had seen Dudley's parties, he had baked, cooked and cleaned for them, but never had any of it been for Harry's benefit. That led into the next thing that caught him of guard. Since this was for him and due to his prior experiences, he was only allowed to help if he could genuinely say that he wanted to do something from the bottom of his heart and that he wanted to do it for himself and not to please someone else or out of fear that they were going to think less of him.

Thus Harry ended up doing very little apart from deciding who to invite, help pick out cards to send to people and pick a time. Activities to do, like a game of quidditch and swimming in the pool, he was also involved in. But the cleaning and polishing, the cooking and food preparation Harry was not involved with at all to his bewilderment.

Harry had made a lot of cakes, but they'd always been connected in his mind with the Dursleys and their celebrations. Dessert at Hogwarts was different, there was rarely in the form of birthday cakes. So Andie and Ted decided to experiment.

"You like chocolate right? Seems to be the sweet you like the most?"

"Yes," Harry said and was the next few days bombarded with different flavor combinations.

There was strawberries, raspberries, lemon curd, banana, nuts, caramel, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, blueberries, oranges, mint and every other flavor combination Harry could think of.

All the tasting was done under the supervision of Dora, Remus (who were going to bake the cake since he was the best baker), Sirius, Andie and Ted. Notes were taken on Harry's reactions.

The morning of his birthday Harry woke up due to Dora bouncing on his bed and announcing "Breakfast in bed, birthday boy! Come on wake up or the toast will be cool!" Dora exclaimed.

"Or I'll just keep a heating charm on it instead," Andie said dryly, watching her daughter and foster son wrestling on Harry's bed.

"Quit it both of you, you can do that outside or somewhere I don't have to worry about you falling of and giving yourselves a concussion."

They all ended up on Harry's floor on cushions having a breakfast picnic.

The guest started coming in the afternoon with the first being Jessica and Sheila attack hugging him.

"Happy birthday Harry!"

"Thank you!" Harry gasped out as Sirius was sniggering from a couch, having a decent day. "But I think Sirius need more hugs then me," Harry said and the duo went to cuddle Sirius who welcomed them with open arms.

People continued to trickle in during the next half hour and Jessica and Sheila stuck with Sirius to make sure he wasn't too overwhelmed. Harry meanwhile was starting to have a pile of presents starting to look similar to Dudley's as more and more people arrived.

By order of Andie the planned quidditch match, which the combined forces of the Gryffindor seekers and Cedric insured Oliver didn't hijack completely, was before they all had epic water fight and later on just chilling in or by the pool. Though it was decided this might not only been practicality, since Andie who had not been in the quidditch game won the water fight.

After the fight eating from the buffet began until most was in a cuddle pit instigated by Jessica and Sheila.

The cake was the absolute highlight for Harry. They wheeled it in amid the singing. It proved to be a seven layer chocolate cake with both dark and white chocolate layers and frosting with strawberries and lemon curd fillings. Remus decided to lift harry up for the blowing our of the candles amid chuckling. Harry didn't mind as he got a hug out of it. Harry didn't have to do a thing for the creation of this cake and it was delicious.

Around him was those who he loved and cared for. Remus and Ron was playing chess on one end of the pool while Ginny, Hermione, Penny and Dora was chatting while Dora changed her nose, Sirius and the Twins was undoubtedly up to no good in a cluster. Sheila, Jessica, Luna and Daphne was also looking rather mischievous at one of the tables. In a big clump was the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team together with Cedric talking with big gestures about quidditch if Oliver's face was anything to go by. Andie and Ted was hugging and looking out at the gathering with smiles on their faces. Terry, Anthony, Susan, Hannah and Neville was sitting at the same table with Harry chatting about how Terry was absolutely not becoming a lawyer.

This, Harry thought, was family.


End file.
